LOGAN — A 23-year-old Logan man has been arrested on a felony charge of child rape stemming from an alleged 2022 assault on a 13-year-old girl, according to a Logan Police Department affidavit.
Cristian Eric Arce was arrested Thursday after authorities investigated a delayed child sex abuse report. The victim, now 17, was forensically interviewed at the Cache Children’s Justice Center and described an incident that occurred about four years earlier.
The girl said Arce added her on social media and they talked in a friendly manner before he invited her to hang out. A friend of Arce’s picked her up and took her to his residence. Once in his room, she said, Arce asked if she had ever had sex. She told him she had not and that she thought they were only hanging out. She said he then removed her clothing and raped her. Afterward, she said, Arce and his friend drove her home.
The victim said she told a friend about the incident at the time but did not tell her family. That friend later confirmed to investigators that the girl had disclosed Arce forced himself on her and identified him by name.
Investigators determined the incident occurred around the July 4, 2022, weekend based on family messages about out-of-state visitors. At the time, the victim was 13 and Arce was 18.
The victim’s mother told police the girl recently received a Facebook friend request from Arce. When contacted by investigators, Arce said he did not recognize the victim’s name. After being shown the profile, he suggested that any sexual activity would have been consensual. He said that when he was younger he made friends online and would ask about ages.
Arce made an initial appearance Friday in Logan’s 1st District Court. He was charged with rape of a child and object rape of a child, both first-degree felonies.
Judge Spencer Walsh told Arce to have no contact with the alleged victim or her family. He also ordered the Logan man to remain in jail until he can appear again with his defense attorney, Aug. 31.
Individuals arrested and charged in complaints are presumed innocent unless or until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.