Santa letter leads to man's arrest

A man has been arrested after a nine-year-old girl wrote to Santa asking that a relative stop touching her and her sister.

A man from the town of Pharr, Texas, was arrested and is being held in custody, The Monitor of McAllen reported today.

A criminal complaint says the girl sent the letter at Cesar Chavez primary school. Authorities interviewed the girl after a school counsellor reported the letter.

The complaint says investigators believe the molestation occurred over a period of four years.

The man is charged with continuous sexual abuse of a young child and could face as many as 99 years in prison if convicted.