A 70-year-old man from Guayama, Domingo Figueroa Montes, was arrested Wednesday on charges of sexual assault and abuse of a minor who was under his care, the Puerto Rico Department of Justice announced. Judge Cynthia Vázquez Peña of the Guayama court found probable cause for arrest on both charges and set bail at $40,000, which Figueroa Montes did not post.
A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for July 20. The case is being handled by prosecutor Paloma Crespo Santiago of the Guayama District Attorney's Office.
According to an investigation by the Sex Crimes Division of the Criminal Investigations Corps (CIC) in Guayama, the defendant allegedly abused a 15-year-old victim. Justice Secretary Lourdes Gómez Torres stated in a written declaration that every minor has the right to grow up in a safe environment free from abuse or exploitation, calling it unacceptable that someone with a duty to protect the victim betrayed that trust in such a serious way.