Illegal immigrant indicted in rape of 10-year-old Ohio girl who went to Indiana for an abortion



The illegal immigrant accused of impregnating a 10-year-old Ohio girl who traveled to Indiana for an abortion was indicted on two counts of rape Thursday by a grand jury in Franklin County, Ohio.

Police apprehended 27-year-old Gerson Fuentes on July 12 after he allegedly confessed to sexually assaulting the young girl on at least two occasions when she was just nine. The girl became pregnant and was taken out of state to Indiana for a medical abortion on June 30, reportedly because she could not obtain one in Ohio under the state's fetal heartbeat law, according to the Columbus Dispatch.

Ohio's heartbeat law prohibits abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, around the time when an unborn baby's heartbeat is first detected. The law does not contain exceptions for rape or incest, only for medical emergencies in which the life of the mother is endangered.

The child rape victim's story went viral after pro-choice activists and Democrats, including President Joe Biden, weaponized it to campaign against state abortion restrictions enacted after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Many conservatives initially expressed skepticism over the veracity of the story, which was first reported by the Indianapolis Star on July 1. Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost was among those who had questioned the story, claiming that his office had not heard a "whisper" of anything like that happening in Ohio.

However, the Columbus Dispatch confirmed the story with reports on Fuentes' arrest and subsequent indictment.

Fuentes is being held in Franklin County jail on $2 million bond. He is a citizen of Guatemala who is living in the United States illegally.

Police have obtained DNA evidence from Fuentes through a search warrant and are comparing it to material collected from the Indianapolis clinic where the girl obtained an abortion, the Dispatch reported.

At a hearing on July 13, Columbus Det. Jeffrey Huhn testified that Fuentes confessed to sexually assaulting the girl on at least two occasions between January and May 12. The two charges of rape are related to those incidents.

Townhall reported that Fuentes was engaged in a romantic relationship with the girl's mother, who is reportedly also pregnant with his child.

A reporter from Telemundo went to the house where law enforcement had arrested Fuentes and briefly spoke to the girl's mother, who claimed the accusations against Fuentes were a "lie."

The maximum sentence for rape of a child under age 13 in Ohio is life in prison without the possibility of parole for 15 years.

Fuentes will appear in court Monday afternoon for arraignment on the indictment and is expected to plead not guilty to the rape charges.

Mother of 10-year-old rape victim shocks reporter, claims everything being said about alleged perpetrator is a 'lie'



The alleged mother of the 10-year-old girl at the center of a national story told a reporter on Thursday that the man accused of raping her daughter is the victim of slanderous lies.

What are the details?

Telemundo reporter María Vargas-Pion went to the house where law enforcement apprehended 27-year-old Gerson Fuentes, the man charged with raping the child.

The woman who opened the door identified herself as the mother of the young child, confirming the victim also lives there and that she is "fine." Shockingly, the woman, who refused to provide her name, claimed that everything being said about Fuentes is a "lie."

According to Vargas-Pion, the mother also confirmed that she refused to press charges against Fuentes.

She reportedly refused to press charges despite Fuentes, according to Telemundo, telling police that he had sexual contact with the young girl on at least two occasions. The assaults reportedly happened when the girl was 9 years old, Telemundo reported, and resulted in a pregnancy, which was terminated in an abortion procedure last month.

\u201cWATCH: The mother of the Ohio 10/y rape victim tells Telemundo's @MariaVargasPion that the child "is fine", and "everything they say about (Gerson Flores) is a lie."\u201d
— Jorge Bonilla (@Jorge Bonilla) 1657821883

Fuentes is being held in jail on $2 million bond. He is from Guatemala and was living in the United States illegally.

Anything else?

Another interesting aspect to the story is whether physicians who knew about the sexual assault reported the case to law enforcement, as required by Ohio and Indiana law.

The Indianapolis Star confirmed that Dr. Caitlin Bernard, the Indianapolis OB/GYN who performed the abortion, disclosed the abortion by filing the correct forms with the Indiana Department of Health and the Department of Child Services.

Bernard filed the appropriate form on July 2, two days after the abortion, according to the newspaper. Indiana law mandates the form be filed within three days for patients under the age of 16.

Still, Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita (R) said the state will investigate the circumstances of the case.

"As we stated, we are gathering evidence from multiple sources and agencies related to these allegations," Rokita told the Star. "Our legal review of it remains open."

Meanwhile, attorney Kathleen Delaney said Bernard is considering legal action against Rokita and others for having "smeared" her.

"She followed all relevant policies, procedures, and regulations in this case, just as she does every day to provide the best possible care for her patients," Delaney said in a statement provided to the Star.

"She has not violated any law, including patient privacy laws, and she has not been disciplined by her employer," the statement continued. "We are considering legal action against those who have smeared my client, including Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita, and know that the facts will all come out in due time."