Jackson handyman charged with sexually abusing child in family for whom he worked
JACKSON - A local handyman hired to do work at a family’s township home has been charged with aggravated sexual assault on their child, according to police.
The attack was reported on April 11 by the parents of the girl — whom police said is under the age of 13.
The handyman, Carlos Morales-Cortes, 27, of Jackson, is accused of touching the child’s buttocks and exposing himself to her before he made physical contact with his genitals, said Jackson police Capt. Steve Laskiewicz, a department spokesman.
The abuse is understood to have occurred on two occasions, Laskiewicz said in a prepared statement.
With the approval of the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, Morales-Cortes was arrested April 20 and charged with aggravated sexual assault with a victim younger than 13-years-old and endangering the welfare of a child by engaging in sexual conduct, according to the statement.
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Morales-Cortes was processed and later transferred to the custody of the Ocean County Jail in Toms River, the statement said.
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The investigation was conducted by Patrolman Matthew Kalbach and Detective Dominic Manion, with assistance from the Special Victims Unit of the Prosecutor’s Office and the Ocean County Sheriff’s Department.
The suspect was charged after an investigation in which multiple interviews were conducted, police said.
He remained in the county jail as of Tuesday night.
Erik Larsen: 732-682-9359 or elarsen@gannettnj.com
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Jackson sexual assault: Handyman charged in abuse of employer's child
