Orange County authorities have arrested a suspect who is accused of sexually abusing a child who was spending the night at a friend’s house.
Officials from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office said in a release that 43-year-old Reyes Rivera-Zapata was arrested on Friday and charged with one count of first-degree kidnapping, two counts of first-degree statutory sex offense and two counts of indecent liberties with a minor.
“The survivor in this case is a 10-year old who was victimized while spending the night at a friend’s house,” according to law enforcement.
The child victim told another friend about the instance, setting off a series of conversations with that child’s parents, school officials and then law enforcement to begin the investigation.
“The offenses occurred on more than one occasion,” according to the press release.
Orange County Sheriff’s Office investigator Zachary Baldwin said in the release that the concern for the child is the first priority in a case like this. Law enforcement conducted a Child Medical Exam, according to Badlwin, to “help us minimize the number of times a child is asked to talk about what happened because we know that telling and re-telling about such events causes additional trauma.”
Rivera-Zapata was initially held under a $100,000 bond and was released after a bail agent posted that bond on June 8. He made his first appearance in Orange County Court Monday afternoon and was placed under the supervision of the pre-trial release program, authorities said.
He is due back in court later this month.
Anyone with information regarding the incident is asked to call the Orange County Sheriff’s Office at (919) 245-2900 or Investigator Baldwin at (919) 245-2939.
Photo via Orange County Sheriff’s Office
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