Simone WilsonA 56-year-old Santa Ana man named Mariano Antonio Castro is behind bars today for raping and impregnating a young Santa Ana girl.
He allegedly spent the last decade having sex with his now 18-year-old stepdaughter. Cops say that when he knocked her up at the age of 10, her mother briefly kicked the man out of their Santa Ana apartment, but he eventually moved back in.
The girl told authorities he then continued raping her all the way up until six months ago. City News Service reports that her priest finally urged her to call the police on her stepfather this week.
According to CBS News, Castro “threatened the victim to keep quiet” for all these years. But as of last night, it's all out in the open:
Police arrested Castro Tuesday night for rape, oral copulation and repeated sexual abuse of a minor. The victim's mother failed to report her daughter's pregnancy and officials say she could face charges as they continue to investigate.The Santa Ana apartment where Castro reportedly raped his stepdaughter for an entire decade; Credit: CBS News
Authorities say Castro has denied the charges, but has acknowledged that the victim's child does resemble him.
“It was almost like daily,” Santa Ana police Corporal Anthony Bertagna told City News. “She told her mother she got pregnant from the stepfather,” but the law was apparently never notified.
And the real question:
“How did an 11-year-old kid have a child without it being reported?'' Bertagna said, adding that will be a key question for investigators as they consider whether to also pursue charges against the girl's mother.The mother was allegedly angered by the girl's pregnancy, “but she didn't report it and continued to live with the guy, so detectives are going to be looking at any potential charges she may face,'' Bertagna said.
In the CBS broadcast (below), Bertanga says, “It started when she was 8 years old with sexual battery on a daily basis. … It stops when she has the child [at age 11]. Then, two months later, it begins again.”
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