Las Vegas man jailed on charges of sexually assaulting girl under 14
A Las Vegas man has been arrested on charges he sexually assaulted a child after giving the girl alcohol and marijuana at an apartment in April.
Las Vegas police arrested Melvin Gaitan Pineda, 28, on Tuesday. He was booked at the Clark County Detention Center on felony counts of sex assault against a child under 14, lewdness with a child and possession of a Schedule 1 controlled substance.
An arrest report for Gaitan Pineda states a girl, who’s age was blacked out in the report, was picked up from school by Gaitan Pineda, then taken to an apartment. She was encouraged to drink alcohol and smoke marijuana prior to a sex assault, police said.
Police wrote in the report that Gaitan Pineda denied giving the child alcohol and marijuana. He at one point claimed the child initiated sexual contact before ultimately telling police “he felt bad because (she) was a young girl,” detectives wrote.
“I asked him if he would ask (the girl) for his forgiveness and he said ‘yes,’” a detective wrote.
Police said they found a white crystal-like substance in Gaitan Pineda’s pocket. Gaitan Pineda said the material was “crystal” but that it belonged to a friend.
A criminal complaint in the case has not been filed. Gaitan Pineda remained in custody at the detention center Thursday morning. He is scheduled to appear in Las Vegas Justice Court on Monday for a status check.
Contact Glenn Puit by email at gpuit@reviewjournal.com. Follow @GlennatRJ on Twitter.
