Man rapes a 7-year-old girl a week after leaving supervised probation, Utah cops say

A convicted felon on parole who’d recently walked out of a drug treatment clinic is accused of raping a 7-year-old girl, according to media reports.

Joshua Oliver Perez, 23, who was convicted of burglary in 2016, is back in the Salt Lake County Jail after being charged with felony rape of a child, jail records show. Police arrested Perez on Feb. 6.

The girl was “hysterical and crying” when telling her parents of the alleged rape, which occurred Jan. 30, KSL reported. Authorities observed physical evidence on the girl that is “consistent with a sexual assault,” court records show, according to the Gephardt Daily.

Talking to medical professionals at a hospital, the girl pointed to her genitals and said Perez “hurt” her, according to KUTV.

When Perez left the drug treatment clinic on Jan. 22, the County Adult Probation and Parole agents were unaware of his whereabouts, KSL reported. Perez was still on parole at the time of the alleged rape, according to the Gephardt Daily. He was scheduled to meet with probation and parole officers on Jan. 23, according to KUTV.

Police in Utah said Perez is being held without bail “to protect the health and safety” of the juvenile rape victim and “the community at large,” KUTV reported.

In addition to his rape charge, Perez has been charged with violation of parole or probation, jail records show. His 2016 burglary conviction was in exchange for assault and kidnapping charges being dropped, KSL reported.

This story was originally published February 10, 2020 at 1:18 PM.