3-year-old raped by uncle, officials say
V V DAILY PRESS
KATHERINE ROSENBERG
August 30, 2007 - 11:14PM
VICTORVILLE — A 3-year-old girl was found abused and bleeding Thursday night, and officials have arrested her uncle, an illegal alien, for child molestation.
Salvador Luna, 29, who was previously deported, was arrested on suspicion of sexual abuse of a child and was taken to the Victorville sheriff’s station where he underwent a physical examination, said Detective Ryan Collins.
The victim was originally admitted to Victor Valley Community Hospital around 7 p.m. after her mother found the girl bleeding inside their home on Rockrose Street, said Detective Sgt. Bob Hughes.
“Her injuries were significant enough that she had to be admitted,” Hughes said.
Around 6:30 p.m. the mother, father, the 3-year-old and her siblings were watching television in the parent’s room, a few doors down from where Luna was staying, Hughes said.
The girl went to Luna’s room for a piece of candy, and when she returned, a sibling took the candy from her, authorities explained. The girl again went into Luna’s room, hoping to replace the stolen sweets.
“She is in the uncle’s room for a while this time, long enough for mom to wonder where she was,” Hughes said. “When mom found the child she could see that she was visibly upset. Mom picks her up and when she put her down, now there’s blood all over mom’s shirt.”
The woman took the child to a neighboring home where the resident was a nurse to have the girl checked out. The nurse immediately dialed 911 and advised the family to stay away from the home until authorities arrived, said Karen Hunt, spokeswoman for the Victorville station.
Officials arrived at the home and had Luna in custody in under five minutes, Hughes said.
Luna had apparently changed clothes by the time officials arrived, so the home was closed off and searched for physical evidence, Hughes said.
In 2000, Luna was arrested in Ventura County on suspicion of annoying or molesting a child and sexual assault, said Detective John Wickum. It is unknown whether Luna was convicted, but the family said he was deported shortly after, officials confirmed.
“His criminal history drops off in 2001,and he re-surfaces again in 2006 with a DUI arrest in Victorville,” Wickum said.
Additional information came in that there could be as many as four other family members who have been past victims, but that remained under investigation on Friday, officials said.
Results of medical examinations on both the victim and Luna are still outstanding, but authorities believe they might shed additional light on the case.
“This is like the smoking gun of molestation cases. There are so many reports and investigations where it can take months to get to the bottom of things. It’s rare to catch something in progress and be able to respond and arrest the suspect immediately,” Wickum said.
Anyone who may have information about Luna is asked to contact the Detective Bureau at the Victorville station at 241-2911.
Luna is being held at the Victor Valley Jail on $250,000 bail, officials said.
http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/_25...le.html/_.html
Linear Mode
