Man due in Columbus court on charges he raped 10-year-old who sought abortion in Indiana
Gerson Fuentes, 27, who is charged with two counts of rape of a child under the age of 13, sits next to his then-defense attorney, Bryan Bowen, left, and a translator, Wolfgang Salazar, right, during his July 28, 2022 bond hearing. He was ordered held without bond pending trial. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison without any possibility for parole.A little more than a year after a 10-year-old Columbus girl made national news because she had to travel from Ohio to Indiana for an abortion, the man who is charged with raping her is due in court again Wednesday.Gerson Fuentes, 28, of Guatemala, is officially scheduled to appear for trial on two charges of rape at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday in Franklin County Common Pleas Court, court records state. Prosecutors say DNA evidence indicates Fuentes, whom authorities have identified as the boyfriend of the girl's mother, impregnated her.But the timing right after a major holiday indicates Fuentes could accept a deal from Frank
A little more than a year after a 10-year-old Columbus girl made national news because she had to travel from Ohio to Indiana for an abortion, the man who is charged with raping her is due in court again Wednesday.
Gerson Fuentes, 28, of Guatemala, is officially scheduled to appear for trial on two charges of rape at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday in Franklin County Common Pleas Court, court records state. Prosecutors say DNA evidence indicates Fuentes, whom authorities have identified as the boyfriend of the girl's mother, impregnated her.
But the timing right after a major holiday indicates Fuentes could accept a deal from Franklin County Prosecutors, plead to amended charges and be immediately sentenced.
The Dispatch will be covering the court appearance and this story will be updated. Come back to dispatch.com later for more information.
The young girl at the center of this case became a flash point in the state and national abortion debate after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade on June 24, 2022. Ohio's trigger ban on abortions after six weeks necessitated her trip across the state line.
The Indianapolis Star first reported on July 1, 2022, that Dr. Caitlin Bernard performed an abortion on a 10-year-old patient from Ohio who was a few days past six weeks pregnant and who couldn't then legally obtain an abortion in her home state.
In the weeks after that, Democrats and President Joe Biden pointed to the girl's case as a reason to protect abortion access, while some Republican lawmakers and officials publicly doubted the girl's existence. Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost called the story likely “fabricated.”
On July 13, 2022, The Dispatch reported on Fuentes' arraignment after his arrest on rape charges.
What do we know about evidence against Gerson Fuentes?
According to testimony by Columbus police Det. Jeffrey Huhn at a bond hearing for Fuentes later in July 2022, the child identified Fuentes as the man who sexually assaulted her twice between January and May 12, when she was 9 years old.
Huhn also said preliminary DNA testing showed there's a "99.99% probability" that Fuentes is the biological father of the "product of conception."
How often are children sexually assaulted?
The girl's very public case led to a conversation about the taboo topic of sexual assault and abuse of children.
After the girl's existence was confirmed, some sought to paint her story as a tragic anomaly. The Dispatch and the Cincinnati Enquirer, a Gannett sister newspaper, investigated how many children are victims of sexual abuse in Ohio and found it common.
The Dispatch and Enquirer findings showed that more than 22,000 children were listed as sexual violence victims in Ohio law enforcement reports between 2017 and 2021. Of those, more than 12,000 victims were 12 years old or or younger.
For subscribers: Child sexual assault and abuse is more common than Ohioans may think
Ohio's ban on abortion after six weeks is on hold — for now
Ohioans can currently legally obtain an abortion before 22 weeks into pregnancy due to a Hamilton County judge putting the Republican-controlled General Assembly's restrictions on hold for now, but an appeal is pending with the Ohio Supreme Court.
The 10-year-old Columbus girl went to a child abuse doctor in late June 2022 during the 82 days that an Ohio law banned doctors from performing abortions, after an ultrasound detected embryonic cardiac activity.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Man due in court on rape charges over Columbus girl who got abortion
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