Wednesday, January 16, 2008

By James Tinley, Register Staff
MILFORD — The man charged with raping a young Salvadoran girl he was smuggling across the country pleaded not guilty Tuesday to all the charges levied against him.
Francisco Pascual could face 80 years in prison, if convicted on the charges of kidnapping and sexual assault, both in the first degree, risk of injury to a minor, third-degree assault and unlawful restraint. He is being held at the Bridgeport Correctional Center in lieu of $2 million bail.
Pascual, who was led into Superior Court in Milford wearing a white jumpsuit, didn’t utter a word during the hearing that only lasted minutes.
Pascual is being represented by Mark S. Solak, a defense lawyer in Hartford who is a former state prosecutor. Solak said he was retained by Pascual’s family, who live in Virginia. Solak would not comment on his client’s immigration status, but did say he was of Mexican descent.
Solak is not fluent in Spanish, but said both his paralegals are. “My client does have some English capacity,” Solak added. Tuesday was also the first time Solak met his client.
Pascual was arrested in December in Milford after a girl, who is younger than 13, was found wandering at a Boston Post Road gas station. She told police through the help of a New Haven police officer, who acted as a Spanish translator, that Pascual raped and assaulted her in a nearby hotel. The girl also told police that Pascual was transporting several other illegal immigrants and dropped them at various points across the country. When she was the only one left in the van, she told police, Pascual began touching her in a sexual manner, then held her against her will and raped her at the Milford hotel.
The girl’s parents, who live in the Boston area, told police they paid Pascual to bring their daughter to them from California. The girl is now in her parents’ care, police said. Authorities will not say whether the girl will be granted a special visa allowing her to stay in the country, nor will they say if the girl’s parents will face charges.
There are no federal charges against Pascual, but U.S. Immigration Control and Enforcement has placed a detainer on Pascual, which means that if he were to post bail he would be released into federal custody.
Superior Court Judge John Ronan entered the not guilty plea into the record and set Pascual’s next court date for Feb. 26. The month delay before Pascual’s next court date is because “considerable work remains to be done,” Ronan said.
Solak echoed that sentiment and said the case is complex. He said, “I only got the discovery package today.”
James Tinley can be reached at jtinley@nhregister.com or 876-3030. Visit the All About Milford blog at Blog Central, www.nhregister.com.