Dominican prosecutors arrest soldier accused of raping a 14-year-old

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 immigrants in the country illegally near the upscale resort town 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 searching for immigrants in an area known as Verón, where migrants mostly from Haiti have settled.

The incident took place while the minor’s mother — who filed the complaint to the Prosecutor’s Office for Victims of Gender, Domestic Violence and Sexual Crimes — was not at home.

Authorities summoned the soldiers who participated in the immigration operation, so that the victim could identify the perpetrator. The victim identified the suspect “in a clear and precise manner,” 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 naming the girl’s mother in order to preserve her privacy.