A 27-year-old man has been accused of attempting to sexually assault an elderly woman in a restroom at Mira Mesa Church. The incident, which happened last year, was recently brought up in court.
Court Hearing
During a preliminary hearing that took place on Monday, May 1, the alleged victim, who is only being referred to in court as "Jane Doe," stated that she was by herself at the church on the morning of November 25, 2022, in which she offered her services regularly.
According to CBC8, Hugo Jonathan Espinoza-Martinez, 27, had reportedly been permitted inside by Doe to use one of the restrooms in the chapel since the man "didn't look especially dangerous.'' Doe stated that when he completed using the restroom, she told him to leave, but the man did not comply with her request. They had a conversation for some time outside the restroom, and at one point, Espinoza-Martinez asked if he may hug her, but the elderly woman declined the offer.
Doe confronted the suspect once more with the threat that she would contact the authorities if he did not leave the premises while she had her mobile phone in her hand. Doe said that Espinoza-Martinez attempted to take her phone as she was getting ready to dial it and that the resulting battle spilled over into another room of the church, which is where the alleged assault took place.
In her testimony, she stated that she attempted to ward off her attacker by stepping on his feet and using her keys. Moreover, the man allegedly fled the church after the woman eventually separated herself from him.
On the other hand, NBC San Diego reported that according to the police, Espinoza-Martinez was arrested on charges of assault with the intent to carry out rape as well as elder abuse. After being arrested, he was taken to the San Diego Central Jail and given a bail amount of $100,000.
Another Case of Sexual Assault on an Elderly Woman
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that the woman, whose identity is not revealed, told the authorities that on November 30, 2021, 15-year-old Khalil Perry threatened her with a knife while returning books to the outdoor book-return machine at the library where she was working. He then allegedly took the car of the elderly woman, drove her to a nearby parking lot, and sexually assaulted her.
Perry also stole her wallet and phone and escaped with her vehicle that afternoon. In addition, after a few hours, the 15-year-old man was taken into custody by the police after being caught using the vehicle belonging to the woman in Mindiola Park.
The criminal complaint stated that Perry is suspected of committing four different types of felony offenses, including first-degree sexual assault using a deadly weapon, armed robbery using force, driving an automobile without the owner's agreement, and kidnapping.
These charges were initially submitted to the juvenile division of the Waukesha County Circuit Court on December 3, 2021; however, on April 29, 2022, they were resubmitted to the higher court because a judge ruled that his case might be excused from the juvenile court system. The only difference is in the potential punishments that can be enforced in the event of a conviction; the charges are the same.
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