HORRY COUNTY, SC – On Tuesday, Miguel Solorio Almanza appeared before Judge Steven John for a bond hearing. While the judge granted him $75,000 bond, it will do Almanza no good, as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has issued a hold on the suspect, as he is in the country illegally and Horry County honors ICE holds.
Almanza was actually arrested in December 2019, after police responded to a Little River area elementary school that reported a young girl had been molested.
WMBF reported:
“A concerned parent whom wanted to stay anonymous told the school counselor and the principal that (Solorio) has been molesting several young girls and something was happening with the victim,” the report stated.
Police state the suspect speaks both English and Spanish and is the emergency contact for several students at the school because the children’s parents only speak Spanish.
The counselor and the principal told authorities the suspect brought in several Spanish-speaking families to register the children into the school, according to the report.
He also reportedly rents to some of the families and provides transportation for them, police said.
“(Solorio) has positioned himself so that the families are very dependent on him and he has been authorized to get the kids from school,” the report states.
Due to the language barrier, the school called Almanza, and told him that the girl had head lice. He came and picked her up, and took her back to his house, where the sexual assault reportedly took place.
The victim was actually assaulted by Almanza as well as another illegal alien, Jose Antonio Sandoval, 50.
The investigation is ongoing, as police believe the pair of Mexican nationals may have more victims.
Miguel Solorio Almanza and Jose Antonio Sandoval have both been charged with first-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor. They are both currently being held at the J. Reuben Long Detention Center on ICE holds.
View Sandoval's booking info...
View Almanza's booking info...
