A Philadelphia man is facing charges after police on patrol in Hatfield Township allegedly caught him sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl in the backseat of his vehicle.
Jean De La Cruz Acevedo, 20, has been charged with rape of a child, along with an additional charge of statutory sexual assault, in connection with the incident. He’s currently being held at the county jail in lieu of $50,000 cash bail.
A Hatfield Township Police Officer observed a white Mercedes with dark tinted windows parked in the lot of the Manheim Philadelphia Auto Auction at 12:49 a.m. on Jan. 3. When the officer pulled up behind the vehicle, they noted the vehicle was running but couldn’t see anything inside due to the tint, according to charging documents.
When the officer knocked on the driver’s side window, the rear driver’s side window went down and a male — later identified as De La Cruz Acevedo — stated he was “with a female” and needed to get dressed, police said. De La Cruz Acevedo provided police with his driver’s license, indicating that he was 20 years old, as the victim — a 12-year-old girl — emerged from the back seat of the vehicle, the report states.
The girl was then taken home by police to her parent’s house, where her father confirmed she was only 12 years old, police said.
The following day, police downloaded the contents of the girl’s cellphone, which allegedly showed she was communicating with De La Cruz Acevedo via Instagram and had arranged to meet with him around 11 p.m. on Jan. 2. The report adds that communications between De La Cruz Acevedo and the girl continued after their encounter with police, according to the complaint.
Several weeks later, the girl was interviewed at Mission Kids, where she disclosed that she had met De La Cruz Acevedo through mutual friends and he had reached out to hang out with her, police said. The girl said she snuck out of her house to meet with De La Cruz Acevedo, and the two went to Wawa for food before De La Cruz Acevedo parked in the Manheim Philadelphia Auto Auction lot, the report states.
After eating, De La Cruz Acevedo allegedly told the girl he wanted to have sex with her, and she said it was ok “because they were good friends,” police said. He then sexually assaulted the girl in the back seat of the vehicle, which was then interrupted by police, the report states.
Children under the age of 13 years old in Pennsylvania cannot consent to any sexual activity with anyone. The overall age of consent in Pennsylvania is 16 years old, however teens between the ages of 13 and 15 can consent to sex so long as the partner is less than four years older. Read more about consent laws here.
Charges were filed against De La Cruz Acevedo on Jan. 31 and he was taken into custody and arraigned the following morning by District Judge Marc Alfarano. His next court appearance is a preliminary hearing on March 1 at 3 p.m. in front of District Judge Ed Levine.
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using court records and the affidavit of probable cause.
See also:
Man Arrested for Promoting Prostitution in Montgomery Township, Police Say
Two Arrests Made in Connection with Recent Convenience Store Robberies Across North Penn Area
Federal Indictment Names 3 from Montgomery Township in Alleged Dental Practice Fraud Scheme
Burger King Manager Groped Teen Employee, Offered Raise to Be Her Boyfriend, Police Say
Piercing Pagoda Manager at Montgomery Mall Accused of Stealing Two Months of Cash Deposits
