A former deputy sheriff has pleaded guilty to cyberstalking and sexually exploiting a teenage girl whom he met through playing Minecraft online.
When 26-year-old Texan Pasquale T. Salas first encountered his victim in 2014, she was just 12 years old.
Salas engineered a relationship with the child by sending her messages in private chat rooms. The former deputy sheriff with the Matagorda County Sheriff’s Office then systematically used Skype, Snapchat, and text messages to groom the little girl.
Authorities said that during their digital exchanges, Salas put repeated pressure on his tweenage victim to capture sexually explicit images of herself and send them to him.
At his coercion, the victim sent hundreds of lewd videos and images of herself to Salas over a two-year period. Some of the images were sent as they communicated via Minecraft.
In a sick attempt to make the exploitation appear like a genuine relationship, Salas sent his victim jewelry, Edible Arrangements, and iTunes gift cards and granted her access to his Amazon Prime account.
The exploited girl, who is from Worcester County, tried to break off contact with Salas in 2016. The self-confessed sexual predator responded by repeatedly threatening to send lewd images of the victim to her family and friends unless she kept communicating with him.
Salas used technology to control his victim. He manipulated her into granting him access to her Snapchat, then used a tracking option on the app to keep tabs on the girl's whereabouts.
The girl was ordered to obey a list of rules written by Salas that dictated what she could wear and whom she could speak with.
According to authorities, Salas threatened to harm the girl's sister if she disobeyed him. He also meted out punishments to his victim when she went against his wishes.
Salas told the girl, “You belong to me. You’re my property so I can treat you however I want, whenever I want.”
Authorities said a second female victim had been sexually exploited by Salas for four years. Victim number 2 was also aged 12 when she met Salas via Minecraft.
Salas, who is in custody at the Donald W. Wyatt Detention Facility in Rhode Island, will be sentenced on September 3.