A man paid to transport a Salvadoran girl to Boston after an illegal border crossing in California has been charged with raping her in a Connecticut hotel room, authorities said.
Francisco P. Pascual, 25, of Gwynn Oak, Md., is charged with kidnapping and sexual assault, along with other offenses that authorities said occurred at the end of a four-day trip across the United States. He is being held on $1 million bail. The girl's age and identity were not released because she is a juvenile.
According to police, the girl was among a group of illegal immigrants that Pascual picked up last week in California. Over four days, he dropped off the passengers in various cities across the country. When all the passengers except for the girl had been dropped off, the driver began touching her in a sexual manner, the girl told police.
She told police that the man checked them into a Hampton Inn in Milford, Conn., where he ordered her to take a shower and brush her teeth. The girl said the toothpaste "tasted funny" and that she began to feel drowsy and fell asleep. After she awoke, she discovered that the zipper on her pants was broken and that the man was in the shower. She told police the man raped her after coming out of the shower.
After the alleged assault, the girl told police, she hit the man and fled from the room.
A passerby called police after seeing the girl, who appeared lost and alone, at a gas station less than a mile from the hotel about 10:30 a.m. Saturday. Speaking to a Spanish interpreter, the girl led police to the hotel, where Pascual was arrested that afternoon.
The girl's mother and other relatives drove to Milford from Boston to meet with police. The mother told investigators that the girl had been staying with her grandparents in El Salvador. She said she paid for her daughter to be smuggled into the United States from Mexico.
It could not be determined yesterday whether the child had been released to her mother's custody.
A spokeswoman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Paula Grenier, said the agency asked to be kept abreast of Pascual's custody status, an indication that the agency believes he is in violation of immigration laws.
An arraignment had not been scheduled yesterday.
