Man accused of sexual misconduct with 4-year-old, assault following home invasion | Crime Files
PHOENIX - A Phoenix Police spokesperson says a man has been arrested for his alleged role in a home invasion that also involved allegations of sexual assault and physical assault.
The incident, according to a statement, happened over the weekend.
Here's what to know.
Who's the suspect?
Investigators identified the suspect as 25-year-old Abdullahi I. Aroni.
Court documents for Aroni state that he has prior arrests for rape, residential burglary, misconduct involving weapons, identity theft, and possession of stolen property. Court documents also list convictions for Aroni, but that section was redacted entirely.
What allegedly happened?
Per investigators, Phoenix Police patrol officers responded on the night of April 14 to an emergency call for services involving a residential burglary. While the location of the home was redacted from court documents, a statement released by Phoenix Police did state that officers were called to a home near the area of 27th Street and Thomas Road.
"Upon arrival, officers made contact with the mother of a four-year-old victim, who advised she woke up in the middle of the night to a light being turned on inside the house," read a portion of the court documents. "The mother went to check on her 4-year-old son, whose bedroom door was open. As the mother entered the bedroom, she was confronted by an unknown male inside the 4-year-old victim's room."
The suspect, according to police, grabbed the four-year-old's mother by the neck after the encounter, causing the child's father to wake up. The mother also saw that her child's pants and underwear were pulled down.
The suspect, investigators allege, later pulled down his own pants and acted in an inappropriate manner.
"The father confronted the suspect and a struggle ensued, resulting in multiple abrasions and lacerations to the father and defendant," read a portion of the court documents.
The fight between Aroni and the four-year-old's father, according to police, ended when the two entered the home's backyard, and the suspect jumped a wall and ran away.
On April 15, investigators managed to identify the suspect as Aroni. Investigators say they interviewed the four-year-old on the same day, where the child stated that the suspect pulled down his pants and touched him in his private parts. Court documents contained graphic description of what allegedly happened.
In an interview that was done after Aroni was read his Miranda rights, investigators state that according to Aroni, he got intoxicated on the night of April 14, and regretted anything that happened.
"Earlier in the day, [Aroni] started drinking beers with other people he knew at the apartment complex, and later added a couple shots of liquor. The defendant stated he drank into the evening time, and wanted to fit in. Afterwards, the [defendant] went to another apartment, then the liquor store across the street from the apartment complex, and was picked up in a car where he went back to the apartment. He did not remember anything else," read a portion of the court documents. "The defendant stated he remembered making it back home to his kids. He woke up the next morning on the ground, feeling pain all over his body, hard for him to breathe and eat, noticed marks on his body, and was barefoot."
Investigators said when Aroni was confronted with video that shows him jumping over the fence of the victim's home, he confirmed the person in the video was him. When Aroni was confronted with how the four-year-old's mother found him in the child's bedroom, Aroni said he "did not recall" touching the child inappropriately, and said he would not do that because he had kids.
"The defendant said he was sorry to the family and wished he could tell the family that. The defendant stated he did not mean to go into the victim's house. The defendant also did not remember physically fighting with anyone or ending up in a pool and felt bad. The defendant said he was sorry for what happened and if he could take back what happened, he would, and admitted he got too drunk," read a portion of the court documents.
What is the suspect accused of doing?
Court documents state that Aroni is accused of a count of sexual conduct with a minor (A.R.S. 13-1405A), a count of 2nd degree burglary (A.R.S. 13-1507), and a count of assault (A.R.S. 13-1203)
A judge has set a $150,000 cash-only bond for Aroni, and should he make the cash-only bond, he will be subjected to a number of restrictions, including house arrest.
Meanwhile, a preliminary hearing has been scheduled for April 25.
