Houston Police Department

August 2, 2005 -- Robert Allen Ellison (w/m, DOB 2-18-78) was arrested in Austin, Texas on July 31, 2005 at about 11:00 p.m. living in a homeless shelter. Ellison was charged in the aggravated kidnaping and sexual assault of a 12-year-old girl in the 11000 block of Airline around 4:45 p.m. on Thursday, May 19, 2005.

Two weeks prior to Ellisons arrest he was featured on the "Americas Most Wanted" TV show which prompted several leads to be called in to investigators. On June 15th he was arrested in Temple, Texas and used a false name when confronted by officers after he was spotted on railroad property. Ellison gave officers the name of a former roommate and provided that roommate's date of birth. Ellison was held over for two weeks for giving a false name and later released. New photos of Ellison were distributed to law enforcement and passed out in Waco, Austin and surrounding areas where he was believed to be heading. An Austin PD officer spotted Ellison at a homeless shelter and arrested him without incident. "He was relieved that he was in custody and the run was over," said HPD Juvenile Sex Crimes Sergeant Randall Upton.

"We (HPD investigators) spoke to him for a couple of hours and he trembled, shaked and cried when he was asked about the kidnaping and sexual assault during our interview," Upton added. "He did ask that we contact the victims and apologize for what he had done." Ellison constantly changed his appearance by growing a beard and letting his hair grow long before shaving it off. Ellison will be brought back to Houston by the Harris County Sheriff's office within the next couple of weeks.

Robert Allen Ellison (w/m, DOB 2-18-78) was charged with aggravated kidnaping and aggravated sexual assault of a child in the 184th State District Court.

Details of the incident are as follows:
The girl and her mother were walking in the parking lot of a grocery store at 11006 Airline. They stated the suspect had parked his white Chevrolet Astro van next to their car and got out of the van armed with a gun. The suspect threatened to shoot the girl unless she got into the van. The girl complied. She said the suspect took her to a wooded area and sexually assaulted her inside the van. The suspect then dropped off the girl at the corner of Dyna and Airline.

The girl told investigators it looked like the suspect lived inside the van. There was a mattress, white laundry basket and a lot of clothes inside the van. The victim saw business cards in the vehicle with a specific company's logo on them.

Working throughout the weekend, investigators were able to locate the van parked in the 10000 block of Bauman on Saturday (May 21). The vehicle was processed for evidence.

Updated AW/ RMM 8-2-05
JFC/RMM 5-23-05
Inc #076960605

For additional information, please contact the HPD Public Affairs Division at 713-308-3200.