Jackson handyman charged with sexually assaulting a young girl

A Jackson Township man has been charged with sexually assaulting a young girl while on the job inside a local residence.

Jackson Police said an officer responded to a home after the parents of the juvenile alerted them to what happened.

The parents told the officer that their daughter was sexually assaulted by the handyman who was at their home after being hired to do work inside the residence.

The handyman, later identified as 27-year-old Carlos Morales-Cortes, then allegedly touched the girl's buttocks and is also accused of exposing himself to her on a separate occasion and touching her behind after exposing himself.

A Jackson Police Detective investigated the claims alongside a detective from the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office Special Victims Unit, township police said, and they were able to then identify the suspect and conduct interviews which led to the arrest of Morales-Cortes.

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Following his arrest, Jackson Police said that charges were approved by an Ocean County Assistant Prosecutor.

Morales-Cortes has since been charged with aggravated sexual assault with a victim less than 13-years old as well as endangering the welfare of a child by engaging in sexual conduct.

He was processed and then brought to the Ocean County Jail.

"We would like to thank the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office and the Ocean County Sheriff’s Department for their assistance in the investigation which led to the identification and arrest of the suspect," Jackson Police said in a written statement.