When children write to Santa they sometimes ask for things that have nothing to do with Christmas.
A 9-year-old girl’s letter to Santa Claus asking that a relative stop touching her and her sister has led to the arrest of Andres Enrique Cantu, 55, on charges of continuous sexual abuse of a young child.
The girl wrote the letter Thursday and turned it in at Cesar Chavez Elementary School. Andres Cantu was arrested on Friday.
A probable cause complaint said a counselor at the school reported that the student turned in a wish list to Santa asking that the relative stop touching her and her sister. A day later she was interviewed at the Children’s Advocacy Center in Edinburg, which works with abused children, and told authorities about the alleged molestation. Police investigators believe the molestation occurred over a four-year period, according to the complaint.
The relationship of the man to the girl was not revealed in order to protect her identity.
The charge against Cantu is a new one, created by the Texas Legislature last year. It is part of a series of changes to the penal code called Jessica’s Law, designed to heighten punishments of sexual predators.
I am so proud of this little girl for finally having the courage to tell someone about what was happening to her.
The sad part is that the only person she felt she could trust was Santa…
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