Phil Shiver,
November 8, 2021
-The Blaze
A man accused of raping a 3-year-old child whom he was supposed to be babysitting also sexually assaulted a dog and a dead or heavily sedated deer, authorities in Portland, Oregon, said.
What are the details?
The heinous allegations against 32-year-old Portland resident Damon J. Cervantes were first reported by the Portland Tribune.
The news outlet noted that Cervantes was arrested on Oct. 11 under suspicion that he had raped the child on Sept. 25 while he was operating as caregiver. According to court documents, two other young children were present at the time of the alleged crime.
The two young children reported the incident in detail to an adult that day and later to crisis responders, adding that Cervantes had told them to “keep it a secret.”
The Tribune reported that on Sept. 28, Cervantes agreed to be interviewed by police. During the questioning, the suspect reportedly accused the children of lying and said screenshots on his cell phone would prove that he was preoccupied at the time they said the incident occurred.
Cervantes then consented to police downloading a copy of his cell phone and went on to show authorities some of the screenshots that he believed would help exonerate him.
Instead, a search of the suspect’s phone turned up two videos that only served to bolster suspicions that Cervantes is a sexual deviant.
What did the videos show?
The disturbing videos obtained by law investigators allegedly showed Cervantes engaging in sexual intercourse with a pit bull while wearing a shirt that said, “What day is it? HUMPDAY,” according to court documents.
The pit bull’s owner reportedly said that his dog had refused to eat for nearly a week after being left in the suspect’s care and noted that Cervantes’ behavior around children had often “weirded him out.”
Additionally, investigators reported discovering another video that “appeared” to show Cervantes engaging in intercourse with a “recently deceased or heavily sedated deer,” though they noted the suspect’s face cannot be seen in the video.
What else?
Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office booking information shows that Cervantes has been charged with a litany of sex crimes, including first-degree rape, first-degree sex abuse, first-degree sodomy, incest, endangering the welfare of a minor, luring a minor, and sexual assault of an animal.
Cervantes, a prior felon with three convictions, entered not guilty pleas on all 25 charges and is currently being held at Inverness Jail on more than $1.5 million in bond.
His next hearing is scheduled for Dec. 1.
