A judge in Ohio has ruled that Gerson Fuentes, the illegal immigrant accused of repeatedly raping and impregnating a 10-year-old girl, to be held without bond.
Fuentes, 27, is charged with two felony counts of rape of the child who traveled to Indiana for an abortion that became a flashpoint in the national debate over access to the procedure.
Judge Julie Lynch ruled on Thursday that Fuentes will be held without bond. He showed no emotion as he was led by deputies from the Columbus courtroom back to his jail cell.
Fuentes, of Guatemala, was arraigned earlier this month and his bail was initially set at $2 million. He remains in the Franklin County Jail.
The case drew national attention when an Indianapolis doctor said the child had to go to Indiana because Ohio banned abortions at the first detectable ‘fetal heartbeat’ after the United States Supreme Court overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling in June.
Gerson Fuentes, 27, is charged with two felony counts of rape of a 10-year-old girl who traveled to Indiana for an abortion. A judge ruled on Thursday that he will be held without bond
Gerson Fuentes, center, appears between his lawyer Bryan Bowen, left, and his interpreter in Franklin County court for his bond hearing in Columbus, Ohio, Thursday
Before the criminal case against the suspect was revealed, Ohio’s Republican attorney general and a GOP congressman from the state were among conservatives who publicly questioned whether the story about the girl was true.
Democratic President Joe Biden highlighted the girl’s case at the signing of an executive order aimed at protecting access to abortion.
Initial court records didn’t specify whether or how the suspect knew the girl, and authorities haven’t provided comment or additional details in response to requests about that.
Judge Julie Lynch denied bond for Gerson Fuentes, left, the man accused of raping a 10-year-old girl who then traveled to Indiana to have an abortion
The girl underwent a medical abortion in Indianapolis on June 30.
Columbus police Detective Jeffrey Huhn, who testified at Fuentes’ arraignment last week, claims the girl named the Guatemalan resident as her attacker and the father of her child.
He also testified that DNA evidence collected from the clinic in Indianapolis will be tested against samples taken from Fuentes, The Columbus Dispatch reported.
Officials are also testing DNA collected from the child’s siblings in an attempt to confirm who fathered the fetus.
The case has been under scrutiny by Ohio officials, specifically Attorney General Dave Yost, since it first made national headlines earlier this month.
The Indianapolis Star, an Indiana-based publication, reported on July 1 that a little girl had to cross state lines to receive an abortion because she was denied one in Ohio.
Ohio is one of the many states set to impose laws, which would cap abortions at six weeks. Also in the state of Ohio, doctors are mandated to report abuse of minors
Yost, during a Fox News interview Monday, claimed there’s no ‘biological evidence’ to the story and he hasn’t heard a ‘whisper anywhere’ about the little girl.
Additionally, an Indiana Department of Health filing obtained by Fox on Thursday, revealed that Indianapolis physician Dr. Caitlin Bernard reported the girl’s alleged rapist was approximately 17 years old.
The child was six weeks and three days pregnant when she sought an abortion in Indiana, Bernard had told The Indianapolis Star.
She claimed the girl was ineligible by just three days to receive an abortion in her home state because of a newly imposed state ban on abortions at the first detectable ‘fetal heartbeat.’
Ohio AG Dave Yost Yost had claimed in an interview Monday there’s no ‘biological evidence’ to the story, and that he hasn’t heard a ‘whisper anywhere’ about the little girl
The ban was enacted shortly after the Supreme Court overturned the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, which had guaranteed abortion rights in America. The Ohio heartbeat bill has no exceptions for rape or incest.
According to court records, a report was generated on June 22 with the Columbus Division of Police for the girl’s rape. Roe was overturned two days later on June 24.
On July 6, the victim identified Fuentes to authorities as the person who raped her.
A week later, Fuentes was served a search warrant for a saliva sample and was taken into custody where he confessed to raping the victim multiple times.
Franklin County Municipal Court Judge Cynthia Ebner said the case didn’t warrant Fuentes – who is believed to be undocumented – to be held without bond, the Columbus Dispatch reported.
But Ebner said a higher bond was necessary due to Fuentes being a possible flight risk and for the safety of children involved.
Yost, skeptical of the case, told Fox last week: ‘My office runs the state crime lab. Any case like this, you’re going to have a rape kit, you’re going to have biological evidence, and you’d be looking for DNA analysis.
‘There is no case request for analysis that looks anything like this,’ he added.
The AG also noted that ‘Ohio’s heartbeat law has a medical exception, which is broader than just the life of the mother.’
‘This young girl, if she exists and if this horrible thing actually happened to her – it breaks my heart to think about it – she did not have to leave Ohio to find treatment,’ he explained.
Following the news of Fuentes’ arrest, the AG’s office released a statement, reading in part: ‘My heart aches for the pain suffered by this young child.
Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita (left) says an investigation has been launched into Dr. Caitlin Bernard (right). She performed an abortion on the unidentified 10-year-old rape victim whose story made headlines when she was forced to travel from her home state to Indiana
‘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.’
Meanwhile, Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita has vowed to probe Dr. Bernard over the abortion, claiming he questioned whether she had complied the Hoosier State’s law requiring that all abortions be reported to authorities.
Dr. Bernard has not yet responded to the AG’s remarks, but tweeted:
‘My heart breaks for all survivors of sexual assault and abuse. I am so sad that our country is failing them when they need us most. Doctors must be able to give people the medical care they need, when and where they need it.’
She said these weeks have not been easy, but thanked the media for reporting the case.