August 30, 2007 - 11:14PM
3-year-old raped by uncle, officials say
KATHERINE ROSENBERG
VICTORVILLE - A 3-year-old girl was found abused and bleeding Thursday
night, and officials have arrested her uncle, an illegal alien, for child
molestation.
Salvador Luna, 29, who was previously de****ted, was arrested on suspicion
of
***ual abuse of a child and was taken to the Victorville sheriff's station
where he underwent a physical examination, said Detective Ryan Collins.
The victim was originally admitted to Victor Valley Community Hospital
around 7 p.m. after her mother found the girl bleeding inside their home
on
Rockrose Street, said Detective Sgt. Bob Hughes.
"Her injuries were significant enough that she had to be admitted," Hughes
said.
Around 6:30 p.m. the mother, father, the 3-year-old and her siblings were
watching television in the parent's room, a few doors down from where Luna
was staying, Hughes said.
The girl went to Luna's room for a piece of candy, and when she returned,
a
sibling took the candy from her, authorities explained. The girl again
went
into Luna's room, hoping to replace the stolen sweets.
"She is in the uncle's room for a while this time, long enough for mom to
wonder where she was," Hughes said. "When mom found the child she could
see
that she was visibly upset. Mom picks her up and when she put her down,
now
there's blood all over mom's ****rt."
The woman took the child to a neighboring home where the resident was a
nurse to have the girl checked out. The nurse immediately dialed 911 and
advised the family to stay away from the home until authorities arrived,
said Karen Hunt, spokeswoman for the Victorville station.
Officials arrived at the home and had Luna in custody in under five
minutes,
Hughes said.
Luna had apparently changed clothes by the time officials arrived, so the
home was closed off and searched for physical evidence, Hughes said.
In 2000, Luna was arrested in Ventura County on suspicion of annoying or
molesting a child and ***ual assault, said Detective John Wickum. It is
unknown whether Luna was convicted, but the family said he was de****ted
shortly after, officials confirmed.
"His criminal history drops off in 2001,and he re-surfaces again in 2006
with a DUI arrest in Victorville," Wickum said.
Additional information came in that there could be as many as four other
family members who have been past victims, but that remained under
investigation on Friday, officials said.
Results of medical examinations on both the victim and Luna are still
outstanding, but authorities believe they might shed additional light on
the
case.
"This is like the smoking gun of molestation cases. There are so many
re****ts and investigations where it can take months to get to the bottom
of
things. It's rare to catch something in progress and be able to respond
and
arrest the suspect immediately," Wickum said.
Anyone who may have information about Luna is asked to contact the
Detective
Bureau at the Victorville station at 241-2911.
Luna is being held at the Victor Valley Jail on $250,000 bail, officials
said.
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