A Riverhead man was sentenced to 23 years in prison and 20 years of post-release supervision today after pleading guilty to charges linked to the sexual abuse of a 10-year-old girl, according to Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney.
Jose Carabantes Pineda, 37, pled guilty on February 24 to committing a Criminal Sexual Act in the First Degree, a Class B violent felony, according to a press release issued by Tierney’s office.
On March 20, 2021, Carabantes Pineda allegedly drove the victim to the parking lot of the Big Lots store on Route 58, restrained her with duct tape in the back of his minivan and sexually assaulted her, according to the press release. The child screamed and banged on the windows of the vehicle in hopes that someone would help her as she attempted to fight Carabantes Pineda off of her.
A good Samaritan heard the child screaming from inside the minivan and knocked on the heavily tinted and fogged windows out of concern, the press release states. The good Samaritan called the police and provided information about the vehicle to Riverhead Police as he tried to follow behind the minivan.
Carabantes Pineda was arrested by Riverhead Police at his home, after he returned from a drive where he coached the victim as to what to say to the police if she were questioned.
An investigation into the incident recovered duct tape that was used to bind the victim from both vehicles, the press release states. The victim was brought to Peconic Bay Medical Center, where she underwent a Sexual Assault Forensic Examination. The evidence collection from a forensic nurse examiner on the victim’s body recovered evidence of the defendant’s DNA. The investigation determined that Carabantes Pineda had been sexually abusing the child for months leading up to the incident, the press release states.
“The bravery of this young victim to fight back against her abuser, the quick reaction of a good Samaritan, and the swift response by the Riverhead Police Department are the reason this predator was apprehended,” Tierney said in the release. “The fact that there are individuals who prey on innocent children like this, is just incomprehensible. But make no mistake, once we catch them, like this defendant, we will do everything in our power to ensure they serve a lengthy prison sentence.”
Carabantes Pineda was indicted by a grand jury for multiple felony sex offense charges in March 31, 2021, including Predatory Sexual Assault Against a Child, a class A-II felony; two counts of Criminal Sexual Act in the First Degree, a class B felony; Course of Sexual Conduct Against a Child in the First Degree, a class B felony; and Endangering the Welfare of a Child, a class A misdemeanor.
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