Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic — Dominican authorities on Friday ordered the arrest of a Dominican soldier accused of raping a 14-year-old Haitian girl while searching for illegal immigrants in the country near the upscale resort city 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 in search of immigrants in an area known as Verón, where migrants mainly from Haiti have settled.
The incident occurred while the minor’s mother — who filed a complaint with the Attorney General’s Office for Victims of Gender, Domestic Violence and Sexual Crimes — was not at home.
The authorities summoned the military personnel who participated in the immigration operation, so that the victim could identify the perpetrator of the crime. The victim identified the suspect “clearly and accurately,” 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 revealing the name of the girl’s mother to protect her privacy.
___
Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at
This story originally appeared on ABCNews.go.com read the full story
