Teen, 14, Arrested for Alleged Molestation
Gilroy – Police arrested a 14-year-old male on suspicion of child molestation Thursday after he was discovered in the bathroom with a 3-year-old girl by neighborhood children. The teen has been sent to juvenile hall while the toddler underwent medical examination Friday, police said.
The teen coaxed the girl into a bathroom in a south Gilroy apartment while a group of neighborhood children watched television in a nearby room about 7pm, police said.
“All the kids in the complex play together. There was no adult supervision at the time,” said Sgt. John Sheedy.
The girl’s mother was inside the complex at the time of the alleged attack but was meeting with neighbors, police said.
The toddler underwent a medical examination to determine if she was sexually assaulted.
“She complained of pain,” Sheedy said. “These kinds of cases are tough. They’re tough for the investigator. They’re tough for the responding officers. Kid cases are tough. There’s no easy way to handle it. This stuff is not supposed to happen to the munchkins.”
The teen is a Gilroy middle school student and lives in the apartment building complex near the toddler.
Police would not release the address of the incident because they did not want to compromise the identity of the individuals involved.
“We’re pretty limited with what we can talk about with everyone being so young,” said Detective Michael Beebe who is the case what. “Right now it appears to be more of a touching (incident), but we’re still investigating.”
Saint Louise Regional Hospital officials called police to report an incident of child molestation after the mother took her to the emergency room about 7:30pm that night.
“Part of the investigation obviously is if there are any other victims out there,” Sheedy said. “This was no play thing. The kid is 14 years old. He knows right from wrong.”
The toddler is back with her mother and doing fine, police said.
The case will be filed by the District Attorney’s office if there is evidence to prosecute the youth. It is unlikely he will be charged as an adult, but the district attorney will look at his history and offense before filing a motion.
“It’s very rare that an individual under the age 16 is tried as an adult,” said David Soares, supervising attorney for the district attorney’s juvenile department. “Typically a case that involves a rape … generally results in an incarceration.”
