A man was found guilty Tuesday of raping his girlfriend’s twin four-year-old daughters and giving them gonorrhea in St. Paul, Minnesota.
In October 2018, Arturo Macarro Gutierrez, 36, was arrested after one of the girls told her grandmother “daddy” hurt her, according to Fox 59.
However, Gutierrez is not the girls’ father but was in a relationship with their mother at the time, according to Breitbart News.
Prior to his initial arrest, the mother took her daughter to the hospital after she learned of the child’s accusations. Doctors later confirmed that she tested positive for the sexually transmitted disease (STD).
A SWAT team then executed a search warrant at the man’s home in West St. Paul and found him hiding in the attic. At first, Gutierrez denied hurting the child but was charged with sexual assault once it was determined he also had gonorrhea.
“He was subsequently charged with sexually assaulting the girl’s twin sister when she, too, tested positive for the sexually transmitted disease,” the Duluth News Tribune reported.
Gutierrez, who has a rap sheet that includes domestic violence charges, was convicted on multiple counts of criminal sexual conduct and scheduled to be sentenced April 1.
Following the verdict, Ramsey County attorney John Choi issued a statement regarding the abuse of children.
The statement read:
Cases involving sexual assault of young children pose significant barriers since they do not possess the language to describe the acts, may not understand that the abuse was wrong, and are susceptible to intimidation and manipulation by the offender. This verdict is attributable to the tremendous courage of the young victims and the willingness of caring adults to believe them.
A child’s behavior may change if they have been sexually abused, according to Stop It Now!, an organization whose mission is to prevent the sexual assault of children.
The behaviors include nightmares or problems sleeping, sudden mood swings, leaving “clues” that provoke a discussion about sexual issues, and refusal to talk about a secret shared with an adult or older child.