Man accused of inappropriately touching his eight-year-old neighbor in Little Havana

A man appeared in criminal courtMiami-Dade this Wednesday, accused of inappropriately touching a minor, who was his neighbor and was barely eight years old at the time of the events.

The subject, 58 years old and identified asJesus Caridad Baez, was arrested after the victim, who is now about 12 years old, confessed to her father that in 2019 the subject, who was a neighbor and friend of the family, touched her inappropriately while she was watching television in her room.

Mike Vega, spokesman for the Miami police, explained in statements toAmerica Camel that the mother of the minor says that she saw Báez leaving the room where her daughter was watching television"But he didn't think anything bad."

“The girl was nervous but she didn't say anything.”said Vega, who argues that a few days ago the minor, speaking with her father, finally told what happened.

“We then investigated and spoke with the mother, with the father, with another person who was present and we spoke with the girl, who reaffirmed to us thatShe was in the room that day when the subject enters, stands next to her, puts his hand inside her pants and touches her private part.The girl said that she didn't say anything at that time but after four years she couldn't take it anymore and had to tell her father," said the police spokesperson.

Mike Vega indicated that it is being investigated whether the subject has a criminal record or if he had been accused of something similar before.

The events occurred in condominium 1646, located on 17th Avenue and Second Avenue in the northwest of the city of Miami, in a building where the victim and the accused then lived in Little Havana.

Jesús Caridad Báez, Hispanic whose nationality of origin has not been revealed, denied having committed the crime after being interviewed by the Police.

The man was arrested and charged with child abuse. This Wednesday, Judge Mindy S. Glazer imposed a restraining order on the victim.

It cannot be less than 500 feet from the minor nor less than that distance from the girl's home and school.

However, the accused was denied bail. He must appear before a division judge to determine how he will be released.

Unfortunately, events like the one mentioned are not uncommon. In May, a Cuban man was arrested for sexually assaulting a 10-year-old girl, also Cuban.

Alexeis Sánchez Leyva, 46, was accused of inappropriately touching the minor, who according to the police report, was the daughter of some of his friends. In that case, the incident was reported this year but also referred to an incident that occurred previously, in 2022, during a family and friends gathering.

The victim, who had arrived a few months ago from Cuba, was there with her parents when she decided to lie down on the bed in a room with another child to watch television and was approached by the subject, who then threatened her so that she would not say anything.