40-year-old Reinaldo Melendez Charged With Repeated Sexual Assault Of A Child For At Least 4 years, Since The Child Was 6, Between 2019 Thru 2023

Melendez's repeated sexual assault of the child began at 6 years old when he began to take the liberty to touch her inappropriately.

By H. Nelson Goodson 

Hispanic News Network U.S.A.

March 24, 2025

Milwaukee, Wisconsin - On March 8, 2024, Reinaldo Melendez, 40, was criminally charged with one felony count of repeated sexual assault of a child (3 or more violations of 1st-degree sexual assault) between March 6, 2019 thru August 3, 2023 (4 years), according to the Milwaukee County criminal complaint.

If convicted, Melendez could be facing up to 60 years in prison. Cash bail for Melendez was set at $15,000, according to court records.

Melendez is scheduled for a Milwaukee County jury trial on May 19, 2025 at the Safety Building room 620.

According to the criminal complaint, Melendez who is the stepfather of the female child victim began to inappropriately touch her at the age of 6, immediately after meeting her mother, and would come into her bedroom at night to sexually assault her. The sexual assault incidents occurred daily during the above mentioned time period when no one was at home or everyone was sleeping. The child victim described to police that Melendez would leave hand marks on her wrists when he would hold her down to sexually assault her. The door knobs to her bedroom were removed, but Melendez would still get into her bedroom to sexually assault her, according to the criminal complaint.

The child victim's mother left to Puerto Rico and left the child with her biological father who later discovered that his daughter had been sexually molested by Melendez.

The biological father also learned that her mother knew about the repeated sexual assaults of the child victim for 4 years, but didn't report it to police.

On October 4, 2023, Melendez was sentenced to 9 months at the Community Reintegration Center (formerly the Milwaukee County House of Corrections), but the sentenced was stayed and placed on probation for 18 months. He was convicted for one felony count of fleeing or eluding an officer.