A man suspected of being in the country illegally has been arrested for the rape of a 10-year-old girl in Ohio.
Gerson Fuentes, 27, was arrested on July 12 for rape of a person under 13 years old, according to court records reviewed by The Epoch Times. The offense took place on May 12.
Fuentes confessed and the girl he raped, who just turned 10, received an abortion in Indianapolis on June 30, the Columbus Police Department said in Franklin County court, according to the Columbus Dispatch.
Det. Jeffrey Huhn said that the girl identified Fuentes as the father of the child and that Fuentes, through an interpreter, admitted having sexual contact with the girl, the paper reported.
A probable cause statement said that detectives collected a saliva sample from Fuentes and Huhn said testing is pending.
A bond of $2 million was set.
Fuentes is in the country illegally, according to a government official. He was provided a translator during the hearing, video footage showed.
Fuentes is currently being held in the Franklin County Jail, according to jail records.
Police Decline to Share Information
Reached after the hearing, the Columbus Police Department declined to share any information.
“Out of compassion for the victims, the Columbus Division of Police will not comment on any rapes/sexual assaults of juveniles,” Sgt. Joe Albert, an aide to Police Chief Elaine Bryant, told The Epoch Times.
The Franklin County Prosecutor’s Office said it was conducting a legal review of The Epoch Times’ request for documents on the case.
The Franklin County Public Defender’s Office, which is representing Gershon, did not respond to a request for comment.
The story of the rape was first reported by the Indianapolis Star, based on an account from pro-abortion doctor Caitlin Bernard.
No other evidence was provided in the initial report, and Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost had cast doubt on whether it happened.
“My heart aches for the pain suffered by this young child. I am grateful for the diligent work of the Columbus Police Department in securing a confession and getting a rapist off the street. Justice must be served and BCI stands ready to support law enforcement across Ohio putting these criminals behind bars,” Yost said in a statement on Wednesday. BCI refers to the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation.
Resident Joe Biden cited the story in a speech on July 8 before signing an executive order aimed at ensuring women can get abortions in the wake of the Supreme Court striking down Roe v. Wade.
“Some of the states don’t allow for exceptions for rape or incest,” Biden said. “Just last week, it was reported that a 10-year-old girl was a rape victim in Ohio—10 years old—and she was forced to have to travel out of the state, to Indiana, to seek to terminate the [pregnancy] and maybe save her life.”
Ohio legislators passed an abortion ban on pregnancies over six weeks that was signed into law by Gov. Mark DeWine, a Republican, in 2019. It took effect in June after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade. The law has no exceptions for rape or incest, though it does allow abortions if they are deemed necessary to save a pregnant woman’s life.