Trial begins for San Miguel man accused of sexually assaulting family member
This article contains a discussion and description of sexual assault and sexual violence. If you or someone you know experienced sexual violence, you can call La Piñon's 24-Hour Crisis Hotline at 575-526-3437 or go to www.lapinon.org.
LAS CRUCES – A trial began Tuesday for a man accused of sexually assaulting a preteen family member.
Richard Robert Rocha, 39, faces four charges of criminal sexual penetration of a minor, one count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, and one count of bribery of a witness.
Just before the trial began Tuesday, one count of criminal sexual penetration was dismissed. Court records show that the count will be transferred to Otero County prosecutors.
Rocha, originally from San Miguel, was arrested and charged in September 2020.
At the time, New Mexico State Police Officer Wilfredo Lavoc accused Rocha of sexually assaulting the girl over multiple years, starting when she was 11.
The allegations against Rocha came to light in February 2020 when the girl, who was 13 at the time, spoke to forensic interviewers at Kids Inc. in Alamogordo. The girl told interviews that Rocha assaulted her first in January 2018, several times in September 2018, and again in June 2019.
As the family moved around southern New Mexico, so did the assaults. Lavoc said assaults occurred in Doña Ana County and Otero County, including San Miguel, Las Cruces, and La Luz.
According to Lavoc’s affidavit, the girl told interviewers that Rocha tried to bribe her with a trip to Las Vegas, Nevada, AirPods, a vape pen, and marijuana. In addition, the girl told interviewers that Rocha once left her a bag of marijuana with a note that read, “keep keeping this a secret, and you’ll get more weed.”
Court records show that prosecutors look to present several family members as well as forensic interviewers and police officers during the trial. They also plan to present the results of a SANE examination conducted after the allegations surfaced.
The trial is scheduled to last four days and is overseen by 3rd Judicial District Judge Douglas Driggers.
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Justin Garcia is a public safety reporter for the Las Cruces Sun-News. He can be reached at JEGarcia@lcsun-news.com.
This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: Trial begins for San Miguel man accused of sexually assaulting family member
