Fort Liberty soldier arrested in Colombia is back in U.S. to face child rape charges

Rachael Riley, Fayetteville Observer
Updated ·2 min read

FORT LIBERTY — A Fort Liberty soldier who was arrested in Colombia after being accused of child sexual abuse allegations and allegedly going AWOL will be tried at court-martial later this year.

Staff Sgt. Carlos Castro Callejas, 33, originally from Hawthorne, California, faces 13 charges of rape of a child younger than 12, two counts of sexual abuse of a child younger than 16, two counts of aggravated assault of a child younger than 16 one count each of fraudulent use of a credit card and desertion with the intent to remain away permanently, according to the U.S. Army charging document.

He is a motor transport operator assigned to the Special Troops Battalion, U.S. Army Forces Command and U.S. Army Reserve Command, a FORSCOM spokesman said. Records show he’s been assigned to FORSCOM since December 2020.

Castro Callejas’ trial is scheduled for Sept. 3 to Oct. 11, court records show.

The charges

According to the charge sheet, Castro Callejas is accused of raping a child younger than 12 in three different states:

— Between Aug. 1, 2013 and Feb. 29, 2016, in Fairbanks, Alaska. — Between March 1, 2016, and Oct. 1, 2018, near Spring Lake. — Between Oct. 1, 2018 and Dec. 31, 2019 in Temple, Texas.

The aggravated assault charges are based on the allegation that he assaulted a child younger than 16 between Aug. 1, 2013, and Feb. 29, 2016, in Fairbanks by "tying her to a pullup bar,” and pointing a knife at her and choking her, the charge sheet stated.

The charge sheet also alleges that Castro Callejas fraudulently used a credit card that did not belong to him multiple times on Oct. 5, 2021, and Feb. 8, 2022, near then-Fort Bragg to pay for $682 worth of diesel fuel.

It's not clear from the record if more than one child is involved.

Leaving the U.S. while facing child rape charges

Media outlets in Colombia reported in December 2022 that Castro Callejas, who is of Colombian-American nationality, was captured by Colombian authorities, while he faced the rape charges.

The charge sheet states that he was absent from his unit March 2, 2022, “with the intent to remain away permanently,” until he was apprehended March 5, 2022.

Court records show that Castro Callejas was arraigned Oct. 6, 2022, and his latest court hearing for motions was May 30.

Staff writer Rachael Riley can be reached at rriley@fayobserver.com or 910-486-3528.

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Liberty soldier faces child rape charges after fleeing to Colombia