Pinal County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested a 43-year-old Maricopa resident on Wednesday on six counts of sexual assault on a minor, three counts of child molestation and one count of kidnapping.
Deputies took Felipe Barrera Pacheco into custody on Jan. 19 after obtaining information two days prior that the man had allegedly sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl.
The victim, a Maricopa resident, told deputies she was a family acquaintance of Pacheco and that he began sexually assaulting her when she was 8 years old.
The girl said Pacheco threatened to “kill her with a gun” and “shoot it out with the cops” if she ever told anyone about the assaults.
When deputies took Pacheco into custody he admitted to the assaults, according to Pinal County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Tim Gaffney.
The charges are not the man’s first run-in with the law. A Mexican national who works in Nogales but lives in Maricopa, Pacheco has prior sexual misconduct and disorderly conduct charges in Santa Cruz County.
Pacheco is being held in the Pinal County Jail without bond.
Sheriff Paul Babeu stated, “Felipe Barrera Pacheco used his relationship with the victim’s family and betrayed that trust and forcibly sexually assaulted this young female victim.
“Most victims of sexual assault and rape never report the crimes committed against them and therefore live in silence and hamper healing. I’m very proud of this young victim’s strength and courage to report the crimes against her and to seek help and justice.”
