Man arrested, accused of misrepresenting age, sexually assaulting young girls: APD

The Austin Police Department is trying to find additional young girls who may have been sexually assaulted by a man who claimed to be younger than he is.

Keshawn French-Burton (Austin Police Department)

20-year-old Keshawn French-Burton is accused of misrepresenting his age to at least three separate victims and then sexually assaulting them.

What we know:

APD says they have identified at least three victims, between 12 and 17 years old.

"He misrepresented his age to the survivors and presented himself as someone younger than he actually was," Austin Police Department Child Abuse Unit Detective Chad Honaker said.

Court documents said French-Burton told his victims he was sixteen. In reality, he is 20.

"Mr. French Burton used a variety of names and different social media handles to contact his victims," Detective Honaker said.

Investigators said he went by the names Leander and Leon and used Instagram, Snapchat, and Roblox to talk with young girls. 

Arrest affidavits revealed he would then meet up with them, even picking them up from school, and then having sex with them in his car and his home.

French-Burton is currently facing six felony charges, four in Travis County and two in Hays County. They include sexual assault of a child and continuous sexual abuse of a child.

APD says these charges stem from multiple incidents.

French-Burton is being held in the Travis County jail.

What they're saying:

"Austin Public Health is actively coordinating efforts with APD to provide contact tracing for any sexually transmitted infections that may have resulted from this suspect's actions," Austin-Travis County Health Authority Dr. Desmar Walkes said. "STIs are a serious public health concern and early detection is critical."

What's next:

Detective Honaker said there may be more victims.

"In going through the various social media there, there was identification of several other underage juveniles that Mr. French Burton was communicating with as well and hence this press conference and asking for the public's assistance in attempting to identify those people," Detective Honaker said.

French-Burton’s attorney told FOX 7 he didn’t have a comment at this time. 

French-Burton has a hearing coming up on Feb. 19.

What you can do:

APD is asking anyone who believes they have been assaulted by French-Burton to report it to their Child Abuse Unit.

To report sexual abuse or information about these incidents, residents can call the APD Child Abuse tip line at 512-974-6880, Crime Stoppers at 512-472-TIPS or use the new Crime Stoppers App.

Those who do not wish to report to law enforcement are still encouraged to contact the Austin Health Department at 512-972-5430 or schedule an appointment online

Additionally, APD Victim Services counselors are available and can be reached by calling 512-974-5037.

The Source: Information in this report comes from the Austin Police Department and Austin Public Health.

Crime and Public SafetyAustin