North Liberty man charged with sexually abusing 10-year-old when he was 16

A North Liberty man was arrested Tuesday on charges that he sexually abused a 10-year-old child when he was 16.

Wilmer Ernesto Garcia Espinal, now 22, is charged with second-degree sexual abuse.

According to a criminal complaint, Garcia Espinal sexually abused the child at a residence in Iowa City on Aug. 22, 2017. The child reported this instance, and other instances of abuse, at the St. Luke’s Child Protection Center in Hiawatha.

The child also shared that Garcia Espinal messaged her asking her to be his girlfriend.

Garcia Espinal confirmed the messages in an interview with investigators, but said he was never at the location of the assault with the child and had been there only once in passing, the complaint states.

Photo evidence from the night of the assault shows Garcia Espinal and the child together, and metadata from a photo taken of Garcia Espinal on the child’s phone shows the photo was taken at the location of the sexual abuse, according to the complaint.

A no-contact order has been filed on behalf of the victim. Garcia Espinal is being held in the Johnson County Jail on a $20,000 bond.

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