Gavel. Photo courtesy of Metro Creative Graphics.
The East Dallas man who was accused of sexually assaulting a minor this summer will be detained while he awaits the conclusion of his case in federal court.
David Michael Klepak, who was reportedly living on Winton Street, was indicted by a grand jury last month on one count of kidnapping a 14-year-old girl.
The victim told investigators that she was taking a walk in her neighborhood in late July, according to the criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas. While trying to get home, she encountered Klepak, who pulled up in a gray Lexus and offered her a ride home. She didn’t know Klepak but accepted the ride. When he asked her age, the victim told him she was 18, not revealing her true age because she was worried about being kidnapped. Then, he allegedly took her to his duplex despite her saying she wanted to go home.
The criminal complaint states that Klepak coerced her into using methamphetamine and sexually assaulted her multiple times over the course of a few days. He also allegedly threatened to kill her, and when she escaped while at a McDonald’s, Klepak said he would “find her and hurt her once he was able to locate her.” A relative found the victim around Aug. 2 and took her to a Dallas police precinct to make a report. With the information the victim gave police, Klepak was arrested the same day.
Klepak allegedly told police he had, according to the criminal complaint, “sexual intercourse” with the victim at his home. Some details he provided matched the victim’s account. Homeland Security Investigations began investigating the kidnapping afterwards.
On Sept. 25, U.S. Magistrate Judge Renée Harris Toliver ordered Klepak to be detained ahead of his trial date. The order stated there is probable cause to believe that he committed an offense involving a minor victim, and he did not produce enough evidence to rebut that presumption. Moreover, the government prosecutors had sufficiently proven that releasing him under any conditions could not ensure safety of the community or his appearance in court. Klepak’s prior criminal activity (including while on probation, parole and supervision), history of alcohol/substance abuse, previous attempts to evade law enforcement, forgery of government documents and “his significant financial resources” were included as reasons for detention.
“Based on the violent nature of the offense charged by the indictment, which involves a minor victim whom defendant plied with methamphetamine during the offense, other uncharged conduct similar to that charged in this case, prior stalking arrests and/or convictions and more recent uncharged stalking conduct, a widespread pattern of threatening and/or abusive behavior in the community, and defendant’s violation of his state conditions of bond imposed in the parallel case by going near schools while wearing an ankle monitor, the court determines specifically that there is no condition or combination of conditions the court can impose to reasonably assure the safety of the community or any other person if defendant is released,” the order states.
The trial is scheduled for Nov. 30, unless a plea deal is reached by then. Klepak could be sentenced to up to life in prison if convicted.
