Trio of Southwest Oklahoma child sex abuse cases filed

A trio of Southwest Oklahoma cases against alleged child sex predators were filed Tuesday.

COMANCHE COUNTY

A 19-year-old man is accused of raping a then-8-year-old girl he was babysitting.

The Comanche County District Court issued a felony arrest warrant Wednesday for Manuel Manzo, of Lawton, for a count of first-degree rape (victim under the age of 14, records indicate. The crime is punishable by no less than five years in prison.

The girl’s mother told Lawton police on Aug. 29 her now 10-year-old daughter told her Manzo had sexually assaulted her while he was babysitting her on May 29, 2021, the probable cause affidavit states. During a forensic interview, the girl said she’d fallen asleep on the couch and awoke to find Manzo on top of her and penetrating her, Detective Sedonna Warren stated.

A $200,000 cash bond was issued upon Manzo’s arrest.

CADDO COUNTY

In Caddo County, a 27-year-old man is accused of being in an inappropriate situation with a 4-year-old girl.

Tre Michael Pederson, of Anadarko, made his initial appearance Tuesday in Caddo County District Court where he was charged with a felony count of lewd or indecent acts to a child under 12, records indicate. The crime is punishable by between 25 years to life in prison.

Caddo County Sheriff’s Deputy Malik Boardingham stated he was called to a home after the little girl’s grandmother discovered her sleeping with her underwear off in bed being spooned by a fully-nude Pedersen, according to the probable cause affidavit. The grandmother took the child from the room. Boardingham stated he found Pedersen nude and difficult to awaken.

Investigators learned Pedersen had stayed up drinking the night before and was so intoxicated he could barely walk, the affidavit states.

Held on $100,000 bond, Pedersen returns to court at 11 a.m. Dec. 5 for an acceleration conference for a deferred sentence he received in a case where he was charged in Caddo County in 2016 of robbery with a weapon, feloniously carrying a firearm and discharging a firearm in a public place. He received a deferred eight year sentence for the robbery charge after entering a blind guilty plea in January 2019, records indicate.

STEPHENS COUNTY

A 73-year-old Marlow man is accused of inappropriate touching of a 10-year-old neighbor girl.

A felony arrest warrant was issued Tuesday in Stephens County District Court for Don Garrett for a charge of lewd acts to a child under 12, records indicate. The crime is punishable by between 25 years to life in prison.

The charge stems from a Nov. 6 incident where a neighbor told police she’d caught Garrett and the girl sitting on a bench outside his apartment with him touching her exposed stomach and her “private area,” the affidavit states. She said when Garrett noticed her, the girl slowly pulled her shirt down and he moved his hand off her.

Marlow Police Lt. Jack Cole spoke with Garrett and denied any inappropriate touching. He said he and the girl would play a game called “are you ticklish” but said the girl would initiate the game, according to the affidavit.

The girl shut down during a forensic interview and only admitted Garrett touched her arms, feet and legs, Marlow Police Officer Rick Coberly stated. The subject of the elder man “would make (girl) uncomfortable,” the affidavit states.

Once home, however, the girl told her mother Garrett had touched her private area and had been since June or July, according to the affidavit.