Earl Townshp man charged with raping, sexually abusing young girls waives preliminary hearings

An Earl Township man charged with sexually abusing two girls, raping one of them, will have his cases proceed to county court after waiving his preliminary hearings this month. 

Carlos Jimenez Venegas, of the 100 block of Tabor Road, waived his preliminary hearing before Judge Jonathan Heisse on Feb. 3 on 10 total charges including rape of a child, among other offenses. On the same day Jimenez Venegas also waived a separate preliminary hearing before Judge Heisse on five felony offenses, including two counts of indecent assault of a person less than 13 years of age. 

In total, Jimenez Venegas faces a combined 15 felony and misdemeanor offenses. 

Jimenez Venegas, 44, is accused of raping and sexually abusing one of the victims about 30 times, first at a residence in the 100 block of Maple Street in Leacock Township and later at a second home in the 3500 block of Lincoln Highway East in Paradise Township between 2014 and 2019. 

The victim, who would have been between the ages of 9 and 14 at the time of the offenses, told police Jimenez Venegas threatened to kill her mother if she ever resisted his sexual advances. 

As Pennsylvania State Police were looking into the allegations the victim told them of a separate incident where Jimenez Venegas is accused of sexually abusing a different young girl at his residence in the 100 block of Tabor Road. The second victim told police Jimenez Venegas sexually abused her multiple times at the residence when she was between the ages of 8 and 13 years old. 

Jimenez Venegas remains in Lancaster County Prison in lieu of a combined $1.25 million bail from both dockets. 

Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Richard Whitehouse and West Earl Township Police Det. Heather Halstead filed the charges. 

Assistant District Attorney Elizabeth Lapp will prosecute both cases. 

All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.