A Vineland man has been indicted in the sexual assault of a girl while she was under his care years ago.
Pedro Horta, now 73, is accused of abusing the girl while she living with him from August 2015 to Dec. 31, 2017, according to the indictment obtained by BreakingAC.
The girl's date of birth is redacted in the court documents, so it's unclear how old she was, except that she was younger than 13, according to the charges.
The girl and her mother came to police in January, saying the abuse happened five years earlier.
Horta allegedly admitted to accidentally having his hand down the girl's pants on one occasion when they were wrestling.
A witness who came in the room when this happened said she had "seen the defendant inappropriately touching the victim and immediately entered the room after collecting her thoughts of what she witnessed," the affidavit of probable cause states. "The witness stated she contacted the victim's mother and advised her to speak with the victim regarding the incident."
None of the paperwork viewed by BreakingAC indicated exactly when that incident occurred or why it was not reported until now.
The girl also claimed he exposed himself to her and touched her with his genitals on one occasion, and another time he kissed her mouth, neck and breasts.
Horta was indicted this week on second-degree sexual assault and third-degree endangering the welfare of a child.
He was charged on a summons and never went to the jail, records show. As a result, a mugshot was not available.
