RUIDOSO, N.M. (KFOX14/CBS4) — A 41-year-old Texas man was arrested last week in connection with a 2023 alleged sexual assault of a child who was reported lost in Ruidoso, New Mexico.
Kory Jolly of Lubbock, Texas, was arrested on May 1 and charged with three counts involving criminal sexual contact with a minor.
According to the Ruidoso Police Department, detectives with the Criminal Investigations Division responded to a call of a lost 11-year-old child on August 14, 2023.
When detectives found the child at a nearby fire station, the child reported that she had been sexually assaulted.
According to an arrest affidavit obtained by KFOX14/CBS4, the investigation into the assault began as detectives learned from the child where the suspect’s home was and the clothing he was wearing.
Additionally, the child told investigators that she had a few one-dollar bills, which were in her hand, stating that the man gave them to her.
When investigators arrived at the home connected to the incident, detectives spoke with a man identified as Jolly and noted the smell of alcohol coming from him. Detectives also observed that his clothing matched the description provided during the investigation, the court document states.
According to the affidavit, Jolly denied wrongdoing but admitted the child had been at the residence, stating that he let her in to play with the dogs, but she remained downstairs while he was upstairs.
Police further stated that when asked if he gave any money to the girl, Jolly said no, but that money was missing off of the dryer, which was located downstairs.
A search of the residence was done with Jolly’s consent, but no physical evidence was found in the home, police said.
However, Jolly also gave consent for DNA swabs, with lab results later showing male DNA was present in multiple swabs and matched Jolly’s DNA.
According to police, the test results identifying DNA belonging to Jolly were confirmed nearly three years later on March 27, 2026.
While Ruidoso police investigators requested assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service to take Jolly into custody at his residence in Lubbock, investigators learned that he had left the area and traveled to Tennessee.
Authorities then took Jolly into custody in Tennessee without incident on May 1. He was charged with one count of criminal sexual penetration of a minor, one count of criminal sexual contact of a minor, and one count of enticement of a child.
The Ruidoso Police Department thanked the U.S. Marshals Service, Lubbock Police Department, Tennessee State Police, Greene County Sheriff’s Office, and the White Mountain Drug Task Force for assisting in taking Jolly into custody.
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