A former Oak Harbor man may be living in Guatemala to avoid child molestation charges, according to court documents.
On Nov. 6, Island County Superior Court Judge Carolyn Cliff authorized a $250,000 arrest warrant for Roberto G. Francisco. Prosecutors charged the 52-year-old the same day with child molestation in the first degree, child molestation in the second degree and child molestation in the third degree.
Francisco is accused of molesting a girl when she was 10 to 14 years old. The alleged crimes occurred in 2019 through 2023.
Oak Harbor police were first alerted to the allegations by the Tacoma Police Department, which is also investigating Francisco for molesting the same child in Pierce County, according to a report by a detective with the Oak Harbor Police Department.
The child told investigators that Francisco, her grandfather, repeatedly molested her when she visited their home in Oak Harbor, the report states. He allegedly told the girl that “you can’t tell grandma cause she would kill me and she would hate you for the rest of your life,” the report states.
Detectives with the Tacoma Police Department spoke to Francisco on the phone earlier this year. He said he was visiting family in Guatemala and agreed to be interviewed. The phone number, however, was no longer in service when detectives called back.
Francisco’s son told police that his father tried to turn himself in to the King County Jail but was turned away. He then allegedly left the country. Another relative said she received a voicemail from Francisco saying he was in Guatemala and not coming back.
Source : News Times
