An 18-year-old Spring Valley man is facing multiple felony sex offense charges after police said he was involved with three different 13-year-old girls, with the case breaking open when officers searching for a missing teenager tracked her to a Lafayette Street residence where the suspect was hiding.
Alan Vasquez-Alarcon was arrested and charged with multiple felony sex offenses involving the three girls, according to lohud.com. The case was first investigated jointly by the Spring Valley and Ramapo police departments, which Newport Dispatch reported coordinated their probes from the outset.
A Joint Probe Begins in Late September
According to ABC7 New York, the investigation began Sept. 30, when Spring Valley and Ramapo police launched a joint probe after receiving information involving Vasquez-Alarcon and a 13-year-old girl. Police said Vasquez-Alarcon was involved in a sexual relationship with that first girl, with incidents occurring in both Spring Valley and Ramapo, the station's report indicates.
Investigators also said Vasquez-Alarcon portrayed himself as younger than his actual age, per the same account. He was 18 at the time of his arrest, according to Newport Dispatch.
Missing-Person Case Leads Police to Lafayette Street
The investigation widened on Oct. 6, when Spring Valley police became involved in a separate missing-person case concerning a second 13-year-old girl who may also have had an intimate relationship with Vasquez-Alarcon, the article notes. Officers went to a residence on Lafayette Street to look for both the missing teen and Vasquez-Alarcon, and he fled the home but was apprehended, while the missing girl was found inside, the same source reported.
Police determined that Vasquez-Alarcon had engaged in sexual intercourse with the girl who had been reported missing, the outlet's report states. Detectives later learned of an alleged sexual assault involving a third 13-year-old girl, as reported by ABC7 New York, and said Vasquez-Alarcon had sexually assaulted her as well, according to the same investigation referenced by the station.
Arraignment and Transfer to County Jail
Vasquez-Alarcon was arraigned in Spring Valley Justice Court, where bail was set, and was then transferred to the Rockland County Jail, per the article. The amount of bail was not disclosed.
The Ramapo Police Department posted an appeal on Facebook asking the public to help identify individuals connected to the investigation, describing the effort as a joint case worked by the Ramapo Police Department Investigations Division and the Spring Valley Police Department Detective Bureau.
Facebook post from Ramapo Police Department
Investigators Seek Possible Additional Victims
Authorities said they are trying to determine whether there may be additional victims, according to ABC7 New York. Rockland Report noted that the charges against Vasquez-Alarcon remain accusations and that he is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 845-356-7400 or [email protected], according to Patch.
