Gilbert man arrested on 21 counts of sexual conduct with a minor

An Arizona man was arrested Tuesday on 27 felony counts stemming from allegations that he sexually abused a child, according to the Gilbert Police Department.

Bryan Mercado faces 21 counts of sexual conduct with a minor, two counts of molestation of a child, two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, one count of indecent exposure and one count of aggravated assault of an adult on a minor.

Child reports years of alleged abuse

The child first disclosed the alleged abuse when she was 9 years old, saying that it had been happening for about three years. She later described 15 separate incidents of alleged sexual abuse involving Mercado, according to court documents.

During one alleged incident, the child said Mercado attempted to persuade her to accept what was happening.

“He had like this pep talk thing to try to get me to like what he was doing to me. … He just was like trying to get me to like it and saying like most kids do,” she told investigators, as detailed in court documents.

Investigators find damaged cellphone

Police executed a search warrant at Mercado’s home on April 15. Inside, investigators found a severely damaged metallic-blue Motorola cellphone with a white sticker on the back.

“The screen was bent at a 90-degree angle and separated from the back of the device,” court documents state.

On June 24, the child told investigators that Mercado had photographed her during an alleged incident using a separate phone. She described that device as “blue metallic-y” with a white sticker.

“No one other than law enforcement personnel was aware of the damaged device prior to the victim’s disclosure to her therapist months before the initial discovery,” court documents state. “Additionally, it appeared the device was intentionally destroyed based on the extent of the damage.”

Mercado denied the allegations and, when asked about the phone, invoked his right to remain silent, police said.

His bond was set at $250,000.

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