It's supposed to be a safe space for kids, but tonight an employee at one local summer camp is accused of doing the unthinkable.
Erick Bello is charged with lewd and lascivious molestation on a child under 12.
He’s being held at the Indian River County jail on a $10,000 bond.
Bello was arrested Monday, after a girl attending summer camp at the Jungle Club Sport Complex told investigators Bello touched her inappropriately.
Rather than backing away, Jungle Club owner John Cairns says he’s got Bello’s back.
“I’ve been advised to distance myself from him,” he says. “I’m not doing that. He's a good young man."
“I’m hearing so much...accusations that aren't true. At least I don't think it's true.”
The sheriff’s office says as they approached Bello about the incident, he claimed he was never alone with the girl.
“As the story continued to unravel and unfold, he did eventually admit he was alone with the child, he did not admit to the touching,” says IRCSO spokesperson Major Eric Flowers.
The investigation also revealed that Bello is not a legal citizen, and used a stolen social security number to gain employment at the gym.
“Our greatest concern in this case is that there are other victims out there that haven't come forward,” Major Flowers says.
Cairns Friday reassured members of the gym that his facility is safe.
“Families' and childrens' personal health and welfare is the number one thing we strive for here at the Jungle Club,” he says.
However, he remains firmly in Bello's corner.
“He’s a good young man, and I like him, and he's part of our family.”
Anyone with information about Bello is urged to call Treasure Coast Crime Stoppers at 800.273.TIPS or Indian River County Sheriff's Office Detective Jeremy Shepard at 772-978-6120.
EARLIER STORY
A maintenance worker who was employed at a Vero Beach sports complex is accused of inappropriately touching a child, according to the Indian River County Sheriff's Office.
The 11-year-old was attending summer camp at the Jungle Club Sports Complex.
The child, who was wearing a swimsuit, ended up alone inside a room with a man while attempting to retrieve swim goggles and claimed to have been touched inappropriately, the sheriff's office said.
Detectives said when they confronted Erick Bello, 27, of Vero Beach he said he was never alone with the child. They said he later changed his story and admitted he was alone but denied the child's accusation.
The sheriff's office arrested Bello Monday and charged him with lewd or lascivious molestation on a child under 12 by a perpetrator 18 or over.
"Our detectives are hoping that there are no other victims of this child predator. We are sharing his photo, knowing that in reality there are likely other victims," said Indian River County Sheriff Deryl Loar in a statement.
Anyone with information about Bello is urged to call Treasure Coast Crime Stoppers at 800.273.TIPS or Indian River County Sheriff's Office Detective Jeremy Shepard at 772-978-6120.
Bond for Bello was set at $10,000.00. Investigators say Bello is a non-U.S. citizen who was illegally using another person's Social Security number for employment. They say other charges are pending.
