An undocumented immigrant who raped and impregnated a 10-year-old Ohio girl has been indicted on rape charges. Columbus Police arrested Gerson Fuentes, 27, after he confessed to raping the victim on at least two occasions.
"My heart aches for the pain suffered by this young child," said Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost. "I am grateful for the diligent work of the Columbus Police Department in securing a confession and getting a rapist off the street."
The young girl's case came to national prominence after the victim was taken to Indiana for an abortion because of Ohio's fetal heartbeat law, which would prohibit most abortions after the sixth week of pregnancy. The law contains no exceptions for rape or incest, but it does include a provision allowing the procedure if the mother's health is in jeopardy. Yost claims the girl would have been covered by the health of the mother clause because of her age.
Police became aware of the assaults after Franklin County Children's Services made a report on June 22. The agency received information from the mother, which led them to file the mandatory report. An Ohio doctor referred the girl to an Indianapolis clinic because he felt he could not perform the procedure because of state law. The girl traveled to Indianapolis for a consultation with a physician on June 29. The doctor performed the procedure on June 30.
In her report on the procedure, Dr. Caitlin Bernard initially said the rapist was 17 years old. After the procedure came to light, Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita said he would investigate Bernard because she did not make a report on the abortion, which is required by law. However, documents obtained by Fox News Digital show that she did file the proper paperwork.
Kathleen DeLaney, Bernard's attorney, said the physician "took every appropriate and proper action in accordance with both the law and both her medical and ethical training as a physician." 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 added."
Ohio Attorney General initially said his office had found no proof of a police report about a 10-year-old rape victim. This led Congressman Jim Jordan (R-OH) to post a tweet saying the rape allegation was "another lie." Jordan deleted the tweet after Fuentes's arrest came to light.
A Telemundo reporter knocked on the mother's door to ask about the victim's health. The mother spoke from behind a door and did not show her face. "She's my daughter. She's fine," the mother said. She did add, however, that everything they are saying against the alleged perpetrator is a lie.
Testimony from Columbus Police detective Jeffrey Huhn detailed the strength of the government's case against Fuentes. He said the police obtained genetic material from the Indianapolis clinic on July 6. The victim identified Fuentes as her attacker in an interview on July 6, leading police to get a warrant for a DNA sample from Fuentes. They executed the warrant on July 12, which is when Fuentes confessed to the assaults.
Fuentes is a native of Guatemala and has been in the country since 2015. He is being held on a $2 million bond.
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Photo courtesy: ©Getty Images/Caspar Benson
Scott Slayton writes at “One Degree to Another.”
