Escondido police have arrested an illegal immigrant on charges of raping and molesting a 12-year-old girl in his neighborhood.
Investigators said Jose Manuel Ayala,18, has been "fixated" on the girl since August.
The victim lives near Ayala's apartment on North Fig Street.
Detectives said Ayala would sneak into her home and sexually assault her while her parents slept in another room.
"It happened over a period of three months,"said Lt. Craig Carter of Escondido Police.
The girl didn't report the assaults at first because Ayala had threatened to hurt her, according to police.
But in late September the victim finally broke down and told her mother and the family immediately contacted police.
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After investigating the allegations, police could not find Ayala because he had been detained by ICE on an immigration violation.
It wasn't until Ayala was released from ICE custody pending a court appearance that officers were able to track him down at his apartment.
Ayala faces more than a dozen charges including rape, child molestation and residential burglary.
