A local soldier with the Oregon National Guard has been indicted on charges of raping, sodomizing and sexually abusing the 11-year-old stepdaughter of a fellow Guardsman.

Florentino Allen Valdez, 33, faces two counts each of first-degree rape and first- degree sodomy, as well as eight counts of first-degree sexual abuse. He was jailed March 27 after the alleged victim told her parents of the abuse. He is being held in lieu of $300,000 bail.

The Bulletin does not identify alleged rape victims. Because the child would be identifiable by naming her parents, The Bulletin will not name them either.

According to a search warrant filed in late March, Valdez and the 11-year-old’s stepfather became friends while deployed together in Iraq, and when they returned home in September, he allowed Valdez to sometimes stay at his home.

Valdez, the girl’s mother said, at first lived with two other soldiers, but was kicked out and moved in with another soldier in an apartment in northeast Bend.

She said her mother invited Valdez over for Christmas when he said he had nowhere to go, and that he would help fix things around the house and sometimes baby- sit for the family. It’s common, she said, for military families to help each other out.

“We take care of each other,” she said.

Valdez came by the family’s home on a daily basis, according to the search warrant, often staying the night and sleeping on the couch. The search warrant also stated Valdez gave the 11-year-old girl gifts, like a polished rock, CDs and clothing.

The child told police and KIDS Center counselors that Valdez touched and raped her over a 10-day period in January or February, the search warrant states.

Deschutes County Sheriff’s detectives set up a phone call in which the child’s stepfather confronted Valdez about the alleged touching. During the phone call, Valdez denied touching the child inappropriately but said because he had been alone in the house with the children, he couldn’t prove he hadn’t acted inappropriately. The pair agreed to meet at a local store, where sheriff’s deputies took Valdez into custody.

Around the same time, Valdez’s roommate reported he had found a drawer full of women’s undergarments in the man’s room. Several of those bras and underpants were later identified as belonging to the 11-year-old and her mother.

In an interview with police, Valdez denied touching the child in a sexual manner.

“(Valdez) told us he knew he was going to be arrested, no matter what he said, because he could not prove he had not touched” the child, the search warrant states.

The girl’s mother said if Valdez is convicted, she wants him dishonorably discharged from the military and stripped of the benefits he receives as a veteran.

“He took an oath to protect and serve U.S. citizens, not rape and victimize children,” she said.

The child’s mother said the Oregon National Guard has handled the situation well.

She said she has met with officials repeatedly, who have helped the family keep their identities quiet and work through any red tape they came up against. Officials call to check in every week, and have provided as much support as possible.

Valdez is due to enter a plea in Deschutes County Circuit Court on May 30.