An 18-year-old Phoenix woman was arrested yesterday for molesting a 10-year-old girl who is the daughter of her one-time foster parents. The suspect, Yolanda Silva, was 16 at the time.
According to court documents obtained by New Times, Silva was in the custody of Child Protective Services in 2009 and placed with the family of the victim.
On August 20, 2009, the victim told her parents she was abused by Silva. Silva, however, had since run away from the home and police were unable to track her down -- until yesterday, anyway.
The 10-year-old victim told police Silva basically begged to perform
oral sex on her. The girl repeatedly said no, but gave in when Silva
said she would run away from home if she didn't let her do it. Silva
also threatened to harm herself by holding a knife up to her own neck
and hitting herself, the victim told police.
Following her
arrest, Silva admitted to abusing the girl and that she knew it was
wrong. She told police she felt bad about abusing the girl and even
attempted suicide because of it.
Silva was booked on two counts of sexual conduct with a minor, one count of child molestation, and one count of sexual abuse.
It's
unclear whether Silva's being charged as an adult, as the alleged
crimes were committed when she was only 16. However, Maricopa County
Attorney's Office spokesman Jerry Cobb tells New Times that it's not
uncommon for minors to be charged as adults if they're close to the age
of 17 when the crime is committed. He says it often depends on the severity of the crime.
