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CEDAR CITY — A man possibly living in the U.S. illegally was charged Monday after prosecutors alleged he raped a 7-year-old girl on multiple occasions, according to charges filed in 5th District Court Monday.
Victor Francisco Michel-Lara, 32, was arrested Sunday and later charged with two counts of rape of a child, each first-degree felonies.
He was arrested after an investigation that began with the Division of Child and Family Services, according to a jail report.
The report stated the girl told the DCFS agent that Michel-Lara had raped her “thousands of times” throughout a six-month period. The report did not state how the girl knew Michel-Lara.
Michel-Lara agreed to speak with police if he was given a translator. He told a Cedar City Police officer who spoke Spanish that on two occasions he was putting lotion on the 7-year-old girl as she sat on his lap when he touched her inappropriately the report said.
The report stated that Michel-Lara told police that on two other times he had taken a shower and laid on his bed naked when the girl came into the room, they roughhoused and that is when more inappropriate behavior occurred.
Michel-Lara was then arrested and held on $200,000 bond.
The report noted he was previously deported to Mexico after previous criminal charges and police noted he may be living in the U.S. illegally. The report did not say what the previous charges were.
Court records show he was cited for not having a valid driver’s license in July. A protection order was also issued against him in 2016.
Authorities also believed he may be a flight risk because he told his ex-wife that he was planning to travel to Washington to visit other family members before he was arrested, the jail report stated.
Michel-Lara made an initial court appearance via video from Iron County Jail Tuesday, where the court read charges against him. He told 5th District Court Judge Keith Barnes that he had obtained a lawyer.
An initial hearing was also scheduled for Aug. 22.
