Sex Offender Suspect in 2 Sex Assaults

A registered sex offender is now a suspect in the sexual assault of two girls who went missing for several hours Monday night, according to a Galveston County Sheriff's Office statement.

San Leon resident Roberty Bryan Dooley, 46, was arrested during a traffic stop early Tuesday morning in Dickinson on two charges of aggravated sexual assault of a child, according to the sheriff's office statement.

Detectives believe Dooley is the suspect in the sexual assault of two girls, ages 8 and 12, who were reported missing from the 200 block of 3rd Street in San Leon, according to the statement.

The girls were being watched by an older sibling when they disappeared between 9:50 and 10:30 p.m. Monday.

During a search for the children that lasted into the wee hours of Tuesday, a firefighter spotted a white van in the 100 block of 1st Street drop off the two girls and then drive off, according to the statement. During questioning, detectives learned the children may have been sexually assaulted-- possibly at a nearby hotel.

Detectives immediately broadcasted a bulletin to all area agencies to watch for the van, according to the statement. Then a Dickinson Police officer found the van and stopped it on FM 517 near State Highway 3 in Dickinson.

Sheriff's deputies working the case went there and and identified Dooley as a suspect, according to the statement. He was arrested and transported to the Galveston County Jail, where he is being held on bonds totaling $500,000.

Dooley, whose sex offender registration is current, may have relocated to San Leon from the San Antonio area in late October to find work in the aftermath of Hurricane Ike, according to the statement.

Detectives say they are still trying to determine whether Dooley had contacted the girls before, according to the statement. An investigation is ongoing.