Prosecutors in the San Pedro de Macorís judicial district have filed a request for preventive custody against public school teacher Fernando Altagracia Peña Eusebio, who is accused of raping a 13-year-old female student.
The request was filed in the Permanent Attention Services Court of San Pedro de Macorís, with the hearing scheduled for next Monday, 25 November 2024 at 9am.
The accused was arrested during an investigation conducted by the Unit for Comprehensive Attention to Gender Violence, Intrafamily Violence, and Sexual Offenses of the San Pedro de Macorís judicial district for the crime committed against the victim.
Another teacher is also accused of raping the same adolescent, yet remains at large.
Teacher Peña Eusebio is accused of violating articles 330 and 331 of the Dominican Penal Code, and article 396, letters A, B, C, of the Law for the Protection and Fundamental Rights of Children and Adolescents (Law 136-03), to the detriment of the adolescent, whose name is omitted for legal reasons.
The San Pedro de Macorís Prosecutor’s Office stated that during the investigation process, they have obtained evidence linking the teacher to the serious crime, and therefore argued that preventive custody should be imposed to guarantee his presence in the proceedings until the Prosecutor’s Office concludes its investigations.
Minister of Education Angel Hernandez says that five persons are charged in the case, two involved in the actual raping and three others for the cover-up that delayed the prosecuting of the case, that occurred on the premises of the grade school La Siria in Quisqueya municipality in San Pedro de Macoris province.
In regards to the sexual abuse allegations, it has been reported that the school director, counselor, administrative coordinator, and a representative from the Dominican Teachers Association (ADP) may be involved in a possible cover-up attempt. Preliminary reports suggest they may have bribed the victim’s family to conceal the case. Fernández stated that the veracity of these accusations will also be thoroughly investigated.
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El Caribe
25 November 2024