Man accused of hiding in girl’s bedroom, sexually abusing her for a month
A Washington state man sexually abused a 12-year-old while hiding out in her bedroom over the course of a month, federal prosecutors said.
Zacharias Adrian Cavasos, 21, initially contacted the girl on social media in December before traveling from Washington to Oregon to meet the child at the Wildhorse Resort and Casino in Pendleton in February, according to court records cited by The Oregonian.
Cavasos then secretly moved into the girl’s room on Feb. 10, hiding from her grandfather by staying in a cavity beneath the girl’s bed after removing slats that held her mattress, Assistant US Attorney Jennifer Martin said.
Cavasos also allegedly hid in the girl’s closet at times until Feb. 25 — when her grandfather caught him in the home, which is on the Umatilla Indian Reservation, prosecutors said.
After getting kicked out, Cavasos managed to sneak back into the residence before he was found again in her room on March 11 and was arrested, Martin said.
Cavasos, whose attorney said may have an intellectual disability, has been charged with sexual abuse of a minor in the US District Court in Portland.
A judge, meanwhile, released Cavasos to a clean-and-sober house ahead of his trial, despite saying she was “troubled” by the accusations.
“When I started reading the nature of the allegations, I really was quite surprised by what I read,” Judge Youlee Yim You said. “I have never been aware of anyone alleged to have been living in a 12-year-old’s bedroom for a month.’’
Cavasos, who prosecutors say has admitted to having sex with the girl multiple times, was ordered to adhere to a curfew and GPS monitoring while at the facility, the newspaper reports.
Cavasos’ attorney, Thomas Price, said in court Wednesday that his client had no prior criminal record and that the allegations he faces do not contain details of violence.
Photo Credit: Multnomah County Sheriff