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Maria Velez, 24, is a Cleveland police officer, who is now accused of sexual assault on a 13-year-old boy. Velez is alleged to have sexually assaulted the boy while working as an aid at a city elementary school, according to reports from police. She was taken into custody on Friday, October 19.
According to the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Velez was arrested and charged with sexual battery and booked into the Cleveland City Jail.
What Happened?
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The 24-year-old police officer, Maria Velez, is accused of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old boy on multiple occasions over the course of nine months. According to court records obtained by the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Velvez sexually assaulted the boy between the time frame of March to December 2015.
In October 2014, Velez was hired as a bilingual paraprofessional, according to WOIO-TV. In December 2015, she resigned from her job at the elementary school, where she is accused of sexually assaulting a young boy. She later obtained a job with the Cleveland Police Department.
According to a spokeswoman at the Cleveland Metropolitan School District, Velez was assigned the role of an instructional aide at the elementary school where the alleged sex crimes took place. Spokesperson Roseann Canfora told the Plain Dealer newspaper that the district was not aware of any accusations made against Velvez during her timed employed with the school district.
The investigation into Velez officially began in September 2017.
According to police, Velez tried convincing the boy to lie to detectives regarding the allegations. The details of her arrest warrant say that she called the boy and attempted to talk him into misleading investigators. Presently, it is not know whether or not she will face additional charges for interfering with an investigation.
The 24-year-old police officer is currently suspended without pay.
Who is Maria Velez?
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Her full name is Maria Kassandra Velez. She’s the 24-year-old Cleveland police officer accused of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old boy over a span of nine months while working as an instructional aid at an elementary school.
After her stint at the school, Velvez was hired by the Cleveland Police Department in 2015. She later graduated from the police academy in 2016, according to her Facebook page, which has since been removed.
According to Plain Dealer, Velvez worked as a patrol officer in Cleveland’s fifth district. Pending the outcome of the investigation, the suspect has been suspended without pay.
“Like all Americans, Officer Velez is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. A rush to judgement is speculative, not warranted. We trust in our criminal justice system,” said Steve Loomis, the president of the Cleveland Police Patrolmen’s Association, on WJW-TV following Velez’s arrest.
Velez is a graduate from John Carroll University, where she studied forensic psychology. He goal was to become an F.B.I. agent. She is also a graduate from John Hay High School, according to her Linkedin profile.
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