A 42-year-old man identified in jail records as a citizen of Ecuador was booked into Ocean County Jail this week on six criminal counts, including multiple charges related to the sexual assault of a child, and is now subject to a federal immigration detainer. Juan Carlos Barreracunin was committed to the jail in Toms River on Wednesday, according to jail records.
The booking was first reported by Shore News Network, which reviewed the jail records listing the charges against Barreracunin, who was born in Ecuador and is listed in those records as a citizen of that country. The outlet reports the records tie six separate counts to a single case, though they do not identify the town where the alleged conduct occurred or state Barreracunin's immigration status.
What the Charges Allege
According to the jail records reviewed by the outlet, Barreracunin faces aggravated sexual assault of a child between 13 and 16 by a guardian, sexual assault by force or coercion with no serious injury, and sexual assault of a child between 13 and 16 by a defendant at least four years older. The records also list aggravated criminal sexual contact, criminal sexual contact, and endangering the welfare of a child by someone with a duty of care. A seventh, unrelated charge of driving on the revoked list rounds out the list, per the same jail records.
The records list an immigration detainer issued by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement against Barreracunin. ICE describes a detainer as a request, not a mandate, that can ask a local jail to notify the agency before an inmate's release and to hold that person for up to 48 hours beyond their ordinary release time so the Department of Homeland Security can assume custody, according to ICE. As of the booking, ICE had not publicly commented on Barreracunin's case.
No Court Date Yet Set
Jail records showed no hearing information for Barreracunin as of the report, and court dates had not been set. A projected release date also had not been established, the outlet noted. Shore News Network said it plans to update the story as prosecutors release more details.
Child sexual assault cases have surfaced elsewhere in Ocean County this year. In Neptune City, a 24-year-old man, Jake Hessels, was charged June 2 with aggravated sexual assault, sexual assault, possession of child sexual abuse material, endangering the welfare of a child, and promoting obscene material, according to Jersey Shore Online. A retired Superior Court judge temporarily assigned on recall ordered Hessels detained pending trial on June 10, the outlet reported.
Separately, Shore News Network reported that an 18-year-old Mexican national, Abraham Franco-Mendez, was committed to Ocean County Jail on October 21 under a no-bail warrant on charges involving a riot, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and unlawful possession of a weapon. That case does not appear connected to Barreracunin's, and the two reports are separate matters from separate dates.
