37-year-old Victor Lopez of Waltham, Massachusetts, appeared in Waltham District Court Monday, charged with indecent assault on a child under 14 for allegedly inappropriately touching an 11-year-old girl while swimming in a DCR pool on River Street in Waltham Saturday afternoon.
"It's disgusting, it really is absolutely disgusting," said the victim's mother, Stacey.
The girl's mother says her daughter was swimming with her step-brother, who also allegedly witnessed the indecent assault; the two were being watched by their mother's adult cousin.
"She's doing okay, she's at school and we're hoping to get through this," Stacey said.
Lopez's defense attorney says his client is a father of five from Guatemala who denies doing anything wrong.
"He would fight these charges your honor, we're dealing with a crowded pool where people bump into each other and we're dealing with someone with no record," Attorney David Jellinek said.
"I don't believe it, if this was an accident, he would have stopped, apologized, he did nothing," Stacey explained.
Massachusetts
The latest news from around the state
Parents at the Connors Swimming Pool where the assault allegedly happened were concerned by the allegations.
"It's scary, we come here to be with our children and you never know who's lurking around the corner," Mary Jo Ploetz, a parent from Ashland, said.
"It's a different world than I grew up in, I think we've got to keep our eyes peeled, if you see something say something," suggested Joe Restino, a parent from Waltham.
"We come here all the time, it's pretty disturbing that people like that are hanging around here," Sonia Smith, a parent from Watertown, added.
Lopez is being held on $3,000 cash bail. He is due back in court Aug. 10.
