Photo: Ralf Peter Schmidt-Dunker (Crimeonlione.com)
SAN LEANDRO — A convicted sex offender has been arrested for kissing a 2-year- old girl near Thrasher Park on Davis Street. The suspect was apprehended at a homeless encampment in July.
The child’s grandmother reported the incident. It occurred on the Fourth of July, after she took her granddaughter to the park. She was putting the toddler inside a car seat when a stranger forced his way into the back seat.
He began kissing the child on the lips, but her grandmother was able to pull him outside of the car quickly. He fled from the area leaving them otherwise unharmed.
Despite their brief encounter, the grandmother provided a detailed description of him to responding officers. Investigators later obtained additional information enabling them to identify the suspect.
The suspect is 44-year-old Ralfpeter Schmidtdunker, a transient who has failed to maintain his sex offender registration.
The case was made a top priority. San Leandro police Lt. Ted Henderson said in a prepared statement. “Detectives believed his acts might become more aggressive towards our younger population.”
Schmidtdunker was taken into custody near Hyde Street in San Francisco by SLPD officers on July 31. He was booked into Santa Rita Jail, where he remains in custody with bail for release denied.
On August 3, Schmidtdunker was charged with committing a lewd act upon a child and child molestation. In addition, he faces charges for failure to register as a sex offender as required. A plea hearing is scheduled for August 11.
The investigation of this incident near the park remains ongoing. Anyone with information regarding this case or similar incidents can call the San Leandro PoliceDepartment at (510) 577-2740.
