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
Taylor Swift channels her bridal Grammy look in Fortnight video teaser
China's fiscal budget well implemented in 2023
Xizang reports robust foreign trade growth in Jan
Pennsylvania cop and military veteran, 28, 'raped 13
Young Ugandans tangle in the mud. They dream of becoming professional wrestlers
China's industrial profits up 10.2 pct in first 2 months
The astonishing effect of stem cell implants
Emiliano Martinez is shown TWO yellow cards but little
Black sailor killed at Pearl Harbor FINALLY identified more than eight decades after 19
Jackson library to be razed for green space near history museums
Energy storage industry put on fast track in China