Sex abuse suspect accused of giving child herpes

An Evansville man accused of giving a young child genital herpes has been charged with five felony sex crimes.

Huber Morales, 24, reportedly told an Evansville Police detective another man used "strong black magic" against him to get him to molest the child, who was younger than 10 years old.

He was charged Friday with five counts of child molesting, two counts as level 1 felonies and three as level 4 felonies. Under Indiana law, level 1 is the most serious felony category after murder.

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According to an affidavit, Morales is accused of raping the child twice and reportedly admitted to it. The child told investigators he had inappropriately touched their genitals "a lot of times" as well.

The abuse was first reported when the victim was admitted to a local hospital with genital herpes this month. Less than a week later, the victim told a registered nurse a man they knew had been molesting them.

Morales allegedly claimed at first that the sexual abuse was a misunderstanding and gave an account slightly different from the child's. A doctor told police casual contact like Morales described was not likely to infect someone with herpes.

He was arrested the evening of Jan. 16 and charged Friday in Vanderburgh County Superior Court. He was still being held in Vanderburgh County Jail as of Monday afternoon.

Morales told officers he was an undocumented immigrant, according to the probable cause affidavit.

Morales' initial hearing was held Monday morning. His bond was set at $100,000 cash, and he was ordered not to contact the alleged victim.

His next hearing is scheduled for 2 p.m. Feb. 27.

Resources

Anyone who suspects child abuse or neglect should call law enforcement or the Indiana Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline run by the Department of Child Services. The DCS hotline is available at 1-800-800-5556.

People who have experienced sexual assault or need help for a loved one can call the Albion Fellows Bacon Center at 812-424-7273 or the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network at 800-656-4673. RAINN operators also offer the option to chat with people online at https://www.rainn.org/.