Hilton Head man accused of sexual conduct with 10-year-old

A Hilton Head Island man has been charged with criminal sexual conduct with a minor under the age of 11 after an elementary school student informed a faculty member of the alleged incident in May.

Martin Sotelo-Gonzalez, 48, was charged on Friday on Hudson Seafood Road and taken to the Beaufort County Detention Center, according to a Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office report.

Lt. Col. Bill Neill said on Monday that Sheriff’s Office investigators conducted a number of interviews before making the arrest.

In the original Sheriff’s Office report, a deputy responded to Hilton Head Elementary School on May 10 after a 10-year-old student told a faculty member about inappropriate contact, allegedly with Sotelo-Gonzalez.

The faculty member told the deputy that she had been teaching a class on personal body safety.

During the class, the child approached the faculty member three times asking to speak alone before informing the faculty member about an encounter with an adult.

Further details were redacted from the report by the Sheriff’s Office.

As of 1:30 p.m. Monday, Sotelo-Gonzalez remained at the detention center, where he is being held on the criminal sexual conduct charge and an Immigration and Customs Enforcement hold, according to the jail’s records.

Bond information for Sotelo-Gonzalez had not been released.

Bryan Cox, southern region communications director for ICE, said on Monday that he could not comment on any matters pertaining to Sotelo-Gonzalez’s immigration circumstances until he is in ICE custody.

This story was originally published July 17, 2017 at 1:54 PM with the headline "Hilton Head man accused of sexual conduct with 10-year-old."