Authorities say a Texas father who beat to death a man who tried molesting his 5-year-old daughter will not be charged.
Officials said the grand jury met Tuesday and declined to return an indictment against the father in the death of 47-year-old Jesus Mora Flores.
The attack happened on the family's ranch between the farming towns of Shiner and Yoakum. Investigators said the 23-year-old father ran toward his daughter's screams, pulled Flores off his child and beat him with his hands.
Authorities say forensic evidence and witness accounts corroborated the father's story that his daughter was being sexually molested.
Earlier, the Lavaca County Sheriff's Office said in a statement that the death would be treated as a homicide investigation, and the case was sent to the grand jury.
Sheriff Micah Harmon, according to the statement, believes the girl’s father is remorseful, and did not intend to kill Flores. He called the case "traumatizing" for the girl and her entire family.
"He was just protecting his daughter and doing what he thought he had to do to protect his daughter," Harmon said.
The victim was an "acquaintance" of the father who visited the ranch to help care for some horses, according to Harmon, adding he did not know how long the men may have known each other prior to the alleged incident.
A witness told law enforcement that Flores was seen forcibly carrying the girl to a secluded area, the statement said. When the girl’s dad found out, he began calling her name, and when he heard her screams, he moved in.
When emergency medical personnel arrived at the scene, Flores’ pants and underwear were down, and his genitals were exposed, the statement said. All the witnesses' statements corroborated the father’s story, the release said.
Flores had a green card and the sheriff’s office has been working with the Mexican Consulate to locate his family, The Gonzales Inquirer reported.
FoxNews.com's Edmund DeMarche contributed to this report.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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