Convicted sex offender held on $50,000 bail for raping girl | Guam News

Duane Manuel Cruz is a registered Level 1 sex offender, according to a complaint filed against him Saturday in the Supreme Court of Guam, which detailed allegations that he continues to “perpetrate abuse of minor children,” and is accused of raping a 13-year-old girl in 2023.

In 2014, Cruz, 32, was convicted of second-degree sexual abuse, which is defined in Title 9 of Guam Code Annotated Chapter 25 as sexual contact with another person under the age of 14 or between the ages of 14 and 16 living in the same household. The new case alleges that he not only committed a similar crime, but an even more violent one that involved penetration.

“On September 6, 2024, officers (from the AB Won Pat International Airport Police Department) responded to a sexual abuse complaint reported at a local high school. Officers met with the 14-year-old … victim, who stated that she had been sexually abused by Duane Manuel Cruz, a man known to her,” the complaint states.

According to airport police officers who took the report, the minor was “crying and emotional while describing the events,” which she said occurred in two separate cases, one in August 2023 and the other in September 2023.

“When the victim was 13 years old, she visited the defendant at his home in Dededo. The defendant told the victim to follow him to his bedroom 'real quick' and the victim said 'no.' The defendant then forcibly grabbed the victim by the arm. The defendant then asked the victim if she wanted to have sex with him and the victim said 'no,'” the complaint states.

The indictment states that Cruz forced himself on the girl and raped her.

“When the defendant was finished, he told the victim to take a shower and wash herself. At some point in September 2023, the victim was at the defendant's residence in Dededo. During this incident, the defendant grabbed the victim's breast and touched her inner thighs,” the complaint states.

According to court documents, the minor reported the incident to family members, but the family did not report it to police.

Cruz was arrested and charged with first-degree sexual abuse, a first-degree felony, and three counts of second-degree sexual abuse, a first-degree felony.

If convicted in this new case, Cruz faces four consecutive life sentences.

The complaint noted that Cruz is also on parole for crimes related to domestic violence.

A representative of the Attorney General's Office opposed his release on Saturday, believing that Cruz's release would pose a danger to the community.

Superior Court of Guam Judge Jonathan Quan set bail at $50,000. Cruz was subsequently incarcerated in the correctional facility.