UPDATE Nov. 18, 2025: All charges against Barrera were dropped on Nov. 17 when Pinal County prosecutor’s declined to prosecute. You can read more about it here. 

A 36-year-old Maricopa man was arrested this week on suspicion of sexual conduct with a minor and sexual abuse, according to court records released today.

Manuel J. Barrera, 36, was arrested outside the Maricopa Police Department on Wednesday, according to the records.

The Arizona Department of Child Safety first reported the allegations to police on May 23, after a minor disclosed a sexual relationship involving an adult known to the family, according to the probable cause statement. The alleged conduct occurred between about November 2024 and January 2025 at a home in Maricopa.

Barrera was described in the court filing as a longtime acquaintance of the minor’s family who had been living in the same home during the period when the alleged offenses took place.

During an interview with Maricopa police detectives, Barrera denied the allegations and gave officers an account that differed from what the minor reported, according to the court records.

Police were called to the Maricopa Police Department on Wednesday after a DCS employee reported that Barrera was outside the building having a panic attack and that he had been charged in connection with the case. Officers arrested him there without incident and booked him into jail on the listed counts, records show.

Barrera is charged with two felony counts of sexual conduct with a child and one count of felony sexual abuse. A conviction on those charges typically carries about 12 years in prison under Arizona’s sentencing guidelines, though the statutory maximum exceeds 30 years.