MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. (WJLA) - A 21-year-old man raped and molested his six-year-old relative over the course of two years, Montgomery County Police say in court documents obtained by ABC7.
Authorities have charged Wilder Francisco Hernandez-Nolasco, 21, of Silver Spring, with eight criminal counts including second-degree rape, second-degree sex offense and continuous sex abuse of a minor.
In late August, the six-year-old girl told special victims detectives that Hernandez-Nolasco had fondled her genitals and "engaged in vaginal intercourse," among other sexual acts. The crimes occurred at two apartments, both in Silver Spring, where the family lived between August 2017 and August of this year.
In an effort to silence the little girl, Hernandez-Nolasco reportedly threatened to ground her for "100 days" if she ever told anyone about what he had done. Authorities have not explained how they became aware of the criminal case.
ALSO READ: Police: Md. mom slaps 13-year-old daughter for reporting sex abuse, tells her to 'shut up'
Detectives managed to get Hernandez-Nolasco to confess to touching the six-year-old girl's genitals "two or three times," each incident occurring within the family's apartment living room. The 21-year-old also described rubbing his genitals against the victim but denied ever raping her.
Records show Hernandez-Nolasco was born in Honduras. He has resided in the U.S. for at least three years. A spokeswoman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement stated it had "nothing public" to share about Hernandez-Nolasco. That typically indicates an individual has U.S. citizenship or some sort of legal immigration status.
According to court documents, Hernandez-Nolasco most recently worked for Jaleo, a José Andrés restaurant that serves Spanish tapas and has three locations across the DC area. A spokesperson for Jaleo's parent company, ThinkFoodGroup, confirmed Jaleo terminated Hernandez-Nolasco approximately six months ago. The spokesperson did not disclose the reason for the firing.
On Friday, Montgomery County District Court Judge Amy J. Bills ordered Hernandez-Nolasco to be held without bond. He remains in Montgomery County custody and faces up to 155 years in prison.
'Take your clothes off.' Md. man accused of raping teenage girl at knifepoint in bedroom
Cops: Man rapes 15-year-old Md. girl, ICE confirms suspect is repeat immigration violator
Update: Man accused of molesting children, blames actions on Salvadoran 'cultural joke'