Dominican prosecutors arrest soldier accused of raping a 14
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — Dominican authorities on Friday ordered the arrest of a Dominican soldier accused of raping a 14-year-old Haitian girl while searching for immigrants in the country illegally near the upscale resort town of Punta Cana.
The soldier, identified as Paulino de la Cruz, is one of 15 members of the Dominican Air Force who accompanied immigration inspectors searching for immigrants in an area known as Verón, where migrants mostly from Haiti have settled.
The incident took place while the minor’s mother — who filed the complaint to the Prosecutor’s Office for Victims of Gender, Domestic Violence and Sexual Crimes — was not at home.
Authorities summoned the soldiers who participated in the immigration operation, so that the victim could identify the perpetrator. The victim identified the suspect “in a clear and precise manner,” according to documents obtained by The Associated Press.
If found guilty of rape, the soldier could be sentenced to between 10 and 20 years in prison.
The AP is not naming the girl’s mother in order to preserve her privacy.
___
Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america
Related articles
Crash snarls Auckland Harbour Bridge traffic
Photo: Supplied / Waka Kotahi2024-04-20Busch Gardens Tampa Bay: Endangered Bornean orangutan born in Florida
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — An endangered Bornean orangutan baby has been welcomed into the world at Busch Ga2024-04-20Over 11 million Chinese people benefit from major disease insurance
Around 11.56 million urban and rural residents in China benefited from the country's major disea2024-04-20Junta shelling, airstrikes kill 25 Rohingyas in Myanmar’s Rakhine state — Radio Free Asia
At least 25 ethnic Rohingya civilians were killed and thousands forced to flee their homes amid junt2024-04-20What is happening with the NZ housing market this week?
Home values in Auckland fell in the past three months. Photo: RNZ / Dan Cook2024-04-20Death toll rises to 13 following Taiwan's 7.3
The death toll following a 7.3-magnitude earthquake in China's Taiwan has risen to 13, local aut2024-04-20
atest comment