A 43-year-old Santa Fe man has been behind bars for more than a week after New Mexico State Police say he had sex with a 4-year-old.

Martin Soriano, whose address is listed as being off Agua Fría Street, was arrested Aug. 26 and charged with criminal sexual penetration of a minor, criminal sexual contact of a minor and aggravated indecent exposure.

Online records indicate Soriano was still being held Friday night in the Santa Fe County jail in lieu of a $250,000 cash-only bond and an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainer. Soriano, who state police say is also known as Martin Carbajal, is a native of El Salvador.

An arrest warrant for Soriano filed in state District Court in Santa Fe was sealed, but state police Sgt. Tim Johnson said family members informed police that once Soriano learned of the investigation into him he was planning on returning to El Salvador.

An online notation on the case file indicates paperwork in the case has been sealed by state District Judge Stephen Pfeffer because "the minor child's name referenced in affidavit."

The female victim, according to police, complained to other family members of the inappropriate conduct around Aug. 22 after she had been baby-sat at Soriano's house for the previous three days.

While Soriano initially denied the charges to family members, police say he confessed to the crime during interviews with investigators.

Jail records show Soriano was arrested in 2009 and charged with leaving the scene of an accident. Court records show Soriano pleaded guilty to that misdemeanor charge and he agreed to pay $714 in fines.

Contact Geoff Grammer at 986-3076 or ggrammer@sfnewmexican.com. Read his blog at santafecrime.com.



Editor's note: Comments on this story are closed, we encourage you to share your thoughts by submitting a letter to the editor.