Following a manhunt Friday, a North Carolina man turned himself in to face allegations that he used his ice cream truck to sexually assault multiple children.
According to WNCN, Durham police announced they were looking for 51-year-old Isam Fathee Mohamed Rahmah after the parents of two boys reported the suspected abuse.
The mother of one alleged victim described to WTVD what her son said happened.
“The guy in the ice cream truck told him he could get in the van and help him give out ice cream to the kids in the neighborhood,” the unnamed woman said.
Once inside the vehicle, the abuse allegedly began.
“He unlocked the door and invited my son on,” the woman said. “When he got on, he locked the doors back and told him to go stand in the corner, grabbed him by the shoulders.”
According to the mother, the suspect began to inappropriately touch her son. After the victim told him to stop, she said, he gave the boy some free ice cream and allowed him to leave.
The mother of the other alleged victim said she saw the red truck in her neighborhood after her son reported the abuse.
She told WTVD that she and other members of her family confronted the driver.
“His initial response was, ‘No, I didn’t do anything, I didn’t do anything,'” the woman said. “Then it went from “I didn’t do anything’ to ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.'”
Locals said the vehicle was a common sight in the community.
“He always drives by here on Saturday and Sunday,” said Christian Aguilar, who added he has made purchases from the truck in the past.
Aguilar speculated Rahmah lived in the vehicle, describing bags of clothes and other possessions he saw inside.
After police asked the public for help tracking down the suspect, Rahmah reportedly surrendered.
As of the latest reports available, he remained in Durham County Jail with bond set at $1 million.
Authorities said he had been charged with felony first-degree kidnapping and indecent liberties with a child, confirming additional counts could still be added.
[Featured image: Durham Police Department]