FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE    

MARCH 21, 2019

Man, 36, accused of raping, sexually abusing female minor

Today, Multnomah County District Attorney Rod Underhill announced that a grand jury returned an 81-count indictment against 36-year-old Cruz Palacios-Romero for allegedly raping and sexually abusing a minor, which resulted in a pregnancy.

The indictment accuses Palacios-Romero of 40 counts of rape in the first degree, 39 counts of incest and two counts of sexual abuse in the third degree.

It is alleged in court documents that the abuse occurred on an approximate weekly basis between July 2017 and March 2019.

This investigation started on March 10, 2019 when law enforcement responded to a residence in the Hazelwood neighborhood after receiving information about a minor being sexually abused by an individual that she knows. The victim is younger than 15 years old.

The victim underwent a physical examination and forensic interview, which is a standard response protocol in cases of suspected child physical or sexual abuse, at CARES Northwest.

Palacios-Romero was arraigned in Multnomah County Circuit Court on March 21, 2019.

This case is being litigated by the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Multidisciplinary Child Abuse Team (MDT), which includes representatives from local law enforcement, public schools, hospitals, courts, health departments, the Oregon Department of Human Services (DHS), and the Oregon Department of Employment Child Care Division.

The Multidisciplinary Child Abuse Team is responsible for reviewing and coordinating all child abuse and neglect cases in Multnomah County. The team also handles all child homicides, felony child physical abuse cases, felony child abandonment cases, custodial interference cases, and felony sex crimes where the victim is currently under the age of 18 and where the perpetrator is determined not to be a stranger to the child.

CARES Northwest is a collaborative, community-based medical program for the assessment, treatment and prevention of child abuse.

This remains an on-going criminal investigation and as such, no additional information can be released by the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office.

An indictment is only an accusation of a crime. Palacios-Romero is innocent unless and until proven guilty.

#MCDA#

Contact: Brent Weisberg, Communications Director

Phone: 503.988.6567

Email: Brent.Weisberg@mcda.us