Man With AIDS Held for Allegedly Molesting Boy, 6

A Port Hueneme man suffering from the deadly AIDS virus who was arrested Tuesday and charged with sexually molesting a 6-year-old boy could face charges of attempted murder, an official in the Ventura County district attorney’s office said Wednesday.

Gerardo Martinez, 31, who officials said revealed the incident during a counseling session for AIDS victims, has been charged with one count each of sodomy, child molestation and assault. Martinez was tracked down by Port Hueneme police Tuesday in Los Angeles County Jail, where he was in custody for a traffic violation.

The alleged assault took place last month, and authorities said it is too early to know yet whether the boy contracted the virus.

“I’m outraged,” Deputy Dist. Atty. Deborah S. Elliot said. “The man was in counseling. I believe he knew” that the virus could be transmitted through a sexual encounter.

To prove attempted murder, officials said they would have to show that Martinez intended to pass the AIDS virus on to his alleged victim. Elliot, who has not yet interviewed the suspect, said she would make a decision on filing attempted-murder charges by next week.

Authorities said they learned of the alleged molestation when Martinez’s counselor, required by law to report suspected cases of child abuse, relayed the disclosure to the Ventura County Public Social Services Agency. Port Hueneme Police Detective Kenneth Dobbe said an arrest warrant was issued last Thursday for Martinez, who is also being investigated by police for allegedly molesting another child.

According to Dobbe, at the time of the incident, Martinez was living in Port Hueneme with his mother, who rented a room in her house to the alleged victim and his mother.

It will take about two to six months before it can be determined if the antibody associated with AIDS is in the boy’s blood, county health officials said. Elliot added that it is the first sex crime case in Ventura County to involve AIDS.