CEDAR CITY – An 18-year-old man is in jail on a $100,000 bail after allegedly impregnating a 13-year-old girl.
Pedro Juan Gaspar-Martin was booked into the Iron County Correctional Facility Friday on two first-degree felonies for rape of a child and sodomy of a child and one second-degree felony for sexual abuse of a child.
According to the charging documents filed in 5th District Court, Cedar City Police were initially contacted by the Department of Child and Family Services to assist with a forensic interview of a child at the Children’s Justice Center.
The court record shows the victim recently turned 14. However, she is currently 21 weeks pregnant making her 13-years-old at the time of conception.
The underage female told investigators she and the suspect, who she called her “boyfriend,” had engaged in sexual activity a number of times between November 2016 and February 2017. The victim also admitted Gaspar-Martin is the father of her unborn child.
Authorities located the suspect at his sister’s home in Cedar City where he was living at the time and brought him to the police department for questioning.
Gaspar-Martin admitted having sex with the girl and provided details to several of the incidents. He also acknowledged the girl’s age and knowing he was responsible for impregnating her, authorities said.
“Pedro was very open and honest with me during the interview,” Officer Matt Topham wrote in his report.
Both the girl and her mother, who was with her daughter at the police interview, said Gaspar-Martin and his family knew the suspect would be in trouble after the two conceived a child and begged him to go home.
“This young girl and her mother both stated to me that Pedro and his family knew he would get in big trouble after she got pregnant,” Topham wrote. “In fact, they stated that Pedro’s father was begging him to fly home to Guatemala so that he would not have to go to jail.”
Gaspar-Martin told police he had planned to return home for a vacation but not to avoid going to jail.
Authorities requested a higher bail out of concern that the suspect may try to flee the U.S.
An initial appearance has not yet been scheduled in the case. However, Gaspar-Martin has filed an affidavit of indigency requesting legal assistance. He remains in jail at this time.
Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @tracie_sullivan
Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2017, all rights reserved.
Good call on bail. He makes it to Guatemala he’s likely gone for good. And why is he even here in the US? Is he even a little bit legal? Even just a tiny bit?
Good question, Bob!
Tracie: is the suspect a U.S. citizen? A “Dreamer”? A non-“Dreamer”? If the suspect isn’t a U.S. citizen, are officials from ICE involved in the case?
Bob always shows it racist and bigoted side
5:30am? havin’ a lil too much fun there party boy?
and it’s: *Bob always shows his racist and bigoted side. And not racist in the least.