A Grovetown man spent his birthday in police custody after allegedly molesting his 13-year-old cousin while her family was preparing his party, authorities say.
Hector Torres-Salazar, 29, of Whiskey Road, was left alone with the girl Saturday at his house and took advantage of the situation, according to Investigator Patrick Brown with Grovetown Police. The families live near each other.
“The family had left the house to go buy supplies for the birthday party, leaving Hector alone with the girl,” the investigator said. “That is when he assaulted her.”
The suspect, a local mechanic, committed several sex acts on the girl without her consent, including sodomy, Investigator Brown said. After he was done, she hid in the bathroom and immediately alerted an adult when they returned. The girl’s mother took her to the hospital, where authorities were called.
Grovetown officers later went to the suspect’s home to confront him and found 40 people at his birthday party.
“Nobody there was cooperative,” Investigator Brown said. “They were trying to keep Hector from us.”
The suspect gave several versions of what happened, none of them coherent, police said. Torres-Salazar was detained and spent his birthday in jail for charges of aggravated child molestation and sexual battery against a child under 16. He remained there Tuesday under no bond.
