The Police reported the arrest of a US citizen accused of alleged sexual exploitation of minors in the tourist town of Cabarete, Puerto Plata.
Members of the Specialized Corps of Touristic Security (CESTUR) arrested 46-year old Michael Daniel Harness in his Cabarete apartment. A search warrant had been issued by the Puerto Plata prosecutors office. The apartment is in the Residencial Palacio Atlántico.
The preliminary report indicates that at the time of the arrest, he was in the company of two minors, ages 14 and 5, who live in the La Ciénaga sector of Cabarete.
The mother of the children, Aracelis Rodríguez, was also arrested. Harness stated he had legal custody of the children by way of power of attorney.
As reported, Harness argued that the children were in his apartment because he worked with a non-governmental organization to help children read and write. He said he planned to adopt the two children. On 27 May 2019, the mother had granted custody.
Read more in Spanish:
Policia Nacional
El Dia
N Digital
19 August 2019