Man charged with 9 felony counts related to alleged sexual relationship with minor

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – A South Bend man is behind bars Saturday, facing nine felony charges related to sexual misconduct with a minor.

According the probable cause affidavit, the county’s Special Victims Unit followed up on a report received by a concerned mother who believed 38-year-old Austin Monteiro had sex with her daughter.

This investigation began on Dec. 29, 2016.

Court documents state the mother made prior police reports as she had been suspicious of the alleged activities for several months.

On Dec. 30, 2016 the victim who was 15-years-old at the time, told SVU detectives she met Monteiro online when she was 12-years-old. Monteiro allegedly began having sex with the victim when she was 14-years-old.

The victim stated Monteiro engaged in sexual intercourse with her several times from October 2015 to September 2016, according to St. Joseph County Officials.

Per the PCA, the victim was either “drunk or high” when she was with Monteiro as he allegedly provided her with marijuana, alcohol, and morphine.

Throughout the investigation, detectives discovered “several disturbing and inappropriate” messages between the victim and Monteiro.

In those messages, Monteiro told the victim she was the “love of his life” and reportedly sent other extremely sexually explicit messages that we have chosen not to release.

Monteiro was arrested Wednesday and is being held at the St. Joseph County Jail on a $20,000 bond.