Decatur man found guilty of sexually assaulting 12-year-old

DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) - A Decatur man has been found guilty of sexually abusing a 12-year-old girl.

Juan Manuel Pacheco-Ruiz was arrested on May 5 for charges of criminal sexual abuse and criminal sexual assault of a minor under the age of 13.

He was arraigned on charges of aggravated criminal sexual assault and grooming.

A jury found him guilty of five counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault of a victim under the age of 13 and one count of grooming Wednesday.

According to a sworn statement, police conducted a forensic interview at the Child 1st Center, with a child victim on Sunday. The child told police that last summer, when she was only 12, Pacheco-Ruiz became very flirtatious and things escalated quickly.

The victim informed police that on three separate occasions, Pacheco-Ruiz had picked her up, taken her to a barn, where he undressed her and than proceeded to abuse her.

In a sworn statement the victim said she told Pacheco-Ruiz to stop and that she didn't know what he was doing, and she didn't want it. The victim said Pacheco-Ruiz responded stating, "You're fine, you're fine, just don't tell anyone, it will feel good."

Pacheco-Ruiz will be sentenced on February 2 at 1:30 p.m.

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