Man pleads guilty to sexual conduct with a child; Victim was 10-year-old girl

Published 7:10 am Tuesday, July 30, 2019

Victor Lopez-Velazquez, 35, of Austin pleaded guilty to felony second-degree criminal sexual conduct-sexual contact-victim under 13 as part of a plea agreement on Monday in Mower County District Court. He initially pleaded not guilty on Oct. 12.

A charge of felony first-degree criminal sexual conduct-sexual penetration-victim under 13 will be dismissed at the sentencing.

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Court documents state a Mower County detective received a child protection intake report from the Department of Human Services regarding a 10-year-old girl on June 28, 2018. The girl reported that Lopez-Velazquez touched her when he drank.

The detective, an Austin police officer and a child protective services employee met with the girl on June 29. She told them that while she was in bed, Lopez-Velazquez had placed his hand in her pants and touched her in a sexual manner. She then told her babysitter about the incident.

Law enforcement interviewed Lopez-Velazquez, who called the incident “an accident.” He said “nothing happened” and that they were “playing in the bed” when “accidentally my hand touched her in that area over (the victim’s) clothes.” He indicated it happened six months prior and that his finger may have gone up the victim’s shorts, but that he did not touch her sexually.

Law enforcement spoke to the victim’s mother, who said the victim told her about what happened. When she confronted Lopez-Velazquez about it, he said he might have “accidentally” touched her vaginal area over her clothes.

Law enforcement then spoke to the victim’s babysitter, who said she had come over to babysit the day the assault took place. She said the victim started to cry and told the babysitter’s 9-year-old daughter that Lopez-Velazquez wanted to have sex with her. The victim then said Lopez-Velazquez had rubbed his genitals over her vaginal area over her clothes.

Lopez-Velazquez will be sentenced on Nov. 14.