Man Accused of Groping Girl, 10, at Port Authority

A homeless man is accused of groping a 10-year-old girl at the Port Authority Bus Terminal.

Port Authority Police say 44-year-old Willie Hanford grabbed the girl's left buttock as she walked onto an escalator with her mother and sister around 6:30 p.m. Friday.

Police say the girl screamed, leading her mother to follow the suspect until nearby officers cornered him in a Duane Reade drug store within the bus terminal.
 
Police say the groping happened shortly after Hanford stole a purse out of a woman's pocketbook on a nearby street corner.
 
Hanford is charged with first-degree sexual abuse, endangering the welfare of a child, grand larceny and criminal possession of stolen property.
 
Information on his lawyer wasn't immediately available.