LOGAN — A 32-year-old Logan man, reportedly in the country illegally, has admitted to molesting two children. Pedro Aristides Vales-Castro was originally arrested in April, following an investigation by the North Park Police Department.
According to court records, Vales-Castro appeared Sept. 15 in Logan’s 1st District Court. He accepted a plea deal, pleading guilty to aggravated sexual abuse of a child, a first-degree felony; and three counts of sexual abuse of a child, amended to a second-degree felony. As part of the agreement, 16 remaining charges were dismissed.
According to prosecutors, police began investigating Vales-Castro after a 9-year-old girl disclosed how she was being sexually abused by a family friend. She described how the Logan man had molested her and her 11-year-old brother.
The two children were interviewed at the Cache Children’s Justice Center. They described separate incidents of Vales-Castro molesting them while they were in bed. The kids described how he would remove their clothing and inappropriately touch them.
The young girl told investigators how she would pretend to be asleep and keep her eyes closed during the incidents. The boy also described how the suspect would molest him, while the two sat on a couch and watched TV.
Police helped the children’s mother conduct a recorded phone call with Vales-Castro. During the conversation, he reportedly confessed.
On April 30, police located Vales-Castro and took him into custody. While being questioned at the police department, he reportedly disclosed that he had inappropriately touched the two children on four separate occasions.
Officers determined Vales-Castro was from El Salvador. They noted he was an immigration violator, according to Customs and Border Patrol.
Vales-Castro remains in jail, being held without bail. He is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 15, and could face up to life in prison.