The Mercury (Pottstown, PA)

Pottstown man draws prison for child rape

- By Carl Hessler Jr. chessler@21st-centurymed­ia.com @MontcoCour­tNews on Twitter

NORRISTOWN » A Pottstown man faces up to two decades in prison and potentiall­y deportatio­n from the U.S. on charges he sexually assaulted an underage girl in the borough.

Carlos Maldonado-Ortiz, 35, formerly of the 500 block of King Street, was sentenced in Montgomery County Court to 10 to 20 years in a state correction­al facility after he pleaded guilty to a felony charge of rape of a child in connection with incidents that occurred between 2013 and 2015.

Judge Garrett D. Page also ordered Maldonado-Ortiz to complete 10 years’ probation following parole, meaning MaldonadoO­rtiz faces a total of 30 years of court supervisio­n. However, Maldonado-Ortiz, who hails from

Guatemala, could face deportatio­n proceeding­s once he completes his prison term if officials determine he is an undocument­ed immigrant.

Testimony revealed that U.S. Immigratio­n

and Customs Enforcemen­t has filed an immigratio­n detainer against Maldonado-Ortiz. In the event that deportatio­n proceeding­s do proceed against Maldonado-Ortiz, he would have to complete any U.S. sentence before he is deported.

At the time of the incidents, which occurred in Pottstown while the girl

was in Maldonado-Ortiz’s company, the girl was between the ages of 12 and 14, authoritie­s alleged.

Assistant District Attorney M. Stewart Ryan previously said Maldonado-Ortiz’s conduct “involved an abuse of trust,” alleging Maldonado-Ortiz violated the trust that was placed in him to care for the girl while she was in

his company.

An investigat­ion of Maldonado-Ortiz began in April 2015 when the girl disclosed to others that Maldonado-Ortiz had sexual contact with her while she was in his company on five occasions between 2013 and 2015 in Pottstown. Maldonado-Ortiz allegedly told the girl “this was a game,” according to the criminal complaint filed by Pottstown Detective Heather Long.

Maldonado-Ortiz also pleaded guilty to a charge of driving under the influence of alcohol in connection with an unrelated July 2016 incident on westbound Route 422 in Limerick. State police at Skippack alleged MaldonadoO­rtiz had a blood-alcohol content of 0.17 percent at the time of the incident, more than two times the legal limit of 0.08 percent.

On Friday, Judge Page also sentenced Maldonado-Ortiz to time served to six months in jail on the DUI charge. MaldonadoO­rtiz has been in jail since July 6, 2016, court papers indicate.

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