Violence against women, "the pandemic in the shadows" 1:28
(CNN Spanish) -
A judge from the Office of Permanent Attention of the National District of the Dominican Republic imposed three months of preventive prison on former Major League Baseball player Juan Encarnación, accused of sexual assault on his 11-year-old daughter.
The measure ordered that Encarnación, a former outfielder who played 11 seasons in the Major Leagues, be confined in the Najayo-Hombres Correction and Rehabilitation Center, in San Cristóbal.
According to the Public Ministry, Encarnación allegedly entered the room where her daughter slept in May 2021 and committed the sexual assault.
The former player's defense, led by the lawyer Carlos Morel, maintains that the girl was manipulated by her mother to testify against her father and, in this way, damage her image in the public eye.
In this file photo, Juan Encarnación, then with the Los Angeles Dodgers, keeps his eye on the ball during a game in Boston, Massachusetts on June 12, 2004. (Credit: Rogash / Getty Images)
The plaintiff's attorney, Candido Simon, told CNN that this is an absurd defense allegation because the minor was subjected to a monitored interrogation and psychological evaluation with experts.
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"The decision is based on a psychological expertise that is made private, which does not meet the rigors of this type of expertise," Morel said.
Meanwhile, one of the lawyers for the plaintiff, Carlos Balcácer, maintained that the evidence is sufficient and that is why the judge sent Encarnación to preventive detention, at the conclusion of the investigation.
"Because of the consistent evidence that the 11-year-old girl had in the interview they did with her," said Balcácer.
After the court decision, dozens of Encarnación's family and friends who went to the National District Prosecutor's Office said that the former baseball player is innocent of the charges.
The former player's stepdaughter, Cinthia Durán, also defends him.
"It is an injustice that my dad is going through this and that his name is stained like that, because he is nothing more than a humble person, with a good heart and he never put his hand to me, or to my family, or to my cousins who slept at my house every day, "said Duran.
Under Dominican law, Encarnacion could face up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $ 4,000 for sexual assault if found guilty.
The mandatory pretrial detention review hearing is scheduled for December 8.
Who is Juan Encarnación?
Juan Encarnación made his major league debut in 1997 with the Detroit Tigers.
For a decade he played and played for various teams, including the Cincinnati Reds, the Florida Marlins, the Angels Dodgers, and the St. Louis Cardinals.
In August 2007, Encarnación suffered a left eye injury after being hit for a foul.
At that time, he was transferred to a hospital, where he was diagnosed with multiple fractures in the left eye socket and a serious eye injury.
He then underwent surgery to repair the wall and floor of his left orbit.
Shortly thereafter, he retired from the Major Leagues.