A suspected illegal immigrant living in Nebraska was arrested on Monday for allegedly sexually abusing his 17-year-old daughter, police said.
Roca resident Alvaro Gomez-Lopez, 34, was charged with felony child abuse, in addition to being cited for third-degree sexual assault.
Authorities believe the suspect illegally entered the U.S. around February. Gomez-Lopez paid for his daughter to be transported from Guatemala around July 16, and he reportedly made his daughter feel like she had debts to pay off.
Police believe that Gomez-Lopez starved and overworked his daughter, who did not consent to the move. Authorities say that he subjected his daughter to sexual contact, but did not detail the abuse.
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"Gomez-Lopez had forced the victim to work inside and outside of the home to repay the debt incurred for the transportation," the Lancaster County Sheriff's Office said in a press release. "The victim also reported that food had been withheld from her for five days prior to contact with Sheriff's Deputies."
The Lancaster County Sheriff's Office said they were tipped off about the abuse by an employee of Church World Service on Monday morning. The social worker told deputies that Gomez-Lopez's daughter contacted her organization to report the physical and sexual abuse.
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On Monday night, Gomez-Lopez was arrested without incident at his home. His daughter was given a forensic interview before being turned over to the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services.
Gomez-Lopez was booked into Lancaster County Adult Detention Facility after his arrest.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Lancaster County Sheriff's Office are actively investigating the case.
