At the request of the Public Ministry, a priest from the San Pedro del Río parish, in Táchira, was deprived of liberty for allegedly being involved in the crime of sexual abuse perpetrated to the detriment of a 12-year-old teenager.
The suspect was identified as Douglas Cievel Escalante Zambrano, 66 years old, who was reported to the Scientific, Criminal and Criminal Investigation Corps (Cicpc) in San Juan de Colón, capital of the Ayacucho municipality, on November 11 by the victim, in the company of his mother.
During her statement, the teenager said that her mother became aware of the incident after checking her phone and finding compromising conversations with the sexagenarian, who had requested intimate photographs. Consequently, the affected woman revealed that the man had already had sexual relations with her on at least two occasions.
In addition, she added that the man looked for her at her residence aboard a personal van and took her to Plaza Bolívar in San Juan Colón, where they would have had their intimate meetings without leaving the vehicle.
Following the revelations, the relevant medical and psychological evaluations were carried out that confirmed what the young woman revealed. That same day, a commission was formed that traveled to the San Pedro del Río parish to locate the perpetrator.
Escalante Zambrano was identified by the Cicpc inside his own vehicle, and was apprehended in flagrante delicto to be placed at the immediate disposal of the Public Ministry. It is worth noting that at the time of his arrest, the sexagenarian’s cell phone was seized, in an attempt to collect more elements of criminalistic interest.
At the presentation hearing, the 22nd Prosecutor’s Office of Táchira charged Escalante Zambrano with the alleged commission of a sexual act with a particularly vulnerable victim in a continuing degree.
