Registered Sex Offender Arrested for Alleged Attack on Girl in Norwalk: Police

NORWALK, CT — A registered sex offender has been arrested in Norwalk, accused of starving and so severely beating a two-year-old girl that she lost sight in one eye, according to police.

The suspect, Norwalk resident Pedro Salinas of Lincoln Avenue, went online and lured the child's mother, her son and the daughter to move to Norwalk from California, reports The Hour.

Salinas is registered with the state for an October 2005 conviction of second-degree sexual assault; he was released in July 2006.

The girl was taken first to Norwalk Hospital in late May for injuries, at which time Norwalk police began investigating based on a report of child abuse by the Connecticut Department of Children and Families. She was later transferred to Yale-New Haven Hospital.

Police arrested Salinas on a warrant Thursday and charged him with:

• First-degree Assault
• 2 counts of Cruelty to Persons
• 2 counts of Risk of Injury to Minors

He was being held in lieu of a $150,000 bond; the status of his case was not immediately known.

Below is the full statement from Norwalk police concerning the arrest:

On July 21, 2016, the Norwalk Department of Police Service arrested Pedro Salinas at the Norwalk Courthouse where he was appearing on another criminal matter. The Special Victims Unit began an investigation on May 26, 2016 after receiving a report of child abuse from the Department of Children and Families. The investigation revealed that a two-year-old female had been brought to the Norwalk Hospital after suffering what was believed to be medical condition.

The child was later transferred to Yale New Haven Hospital due to the seriousness of the child’s condition. SVU Detectives learned that the child had been living with family at Salinas’s residence and that Salinas had assaulted the child causing serious injuries. Based on the investigation, a warrant was issued for Salinas.

Photo: Pedro Salinas. Photo credit: Norwalk Police Department