Major update in case of 10-year-old girl who got pregnant after being raped TWICE
AN arrest has been made in the case of a pregnant 10-year-old girl who traveled from Ohio to Indiana seeking an abortion after being raped twice, court documents reveal.
Gershon Fuentes, 27, is now facing charges as the tragic story of his alleged young victim has garnered national attention in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v Wade.
The Columbus man was arrested on Tuesday after he admitted to raping the child at least two times, prosecutors said.
This comes as the 10-year-old victim’s situation sparked public fury after she was denied an abortion and her alleged rapist walked free for weeks.
On June 22, Columbus police were made aware of the horror pregnancy through a referral from Franklin County Children Services that was made by the girl’s mother.
The girl traveled to Indianapolis to undergo a medical abortion on June 30, said Detective Jeffrey Huhn at Fuentes’ arraignment Wednesday.
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Huhn testified that DNA from the clinic in Indianapolis is being tested against samples from Fuentes to confirm contribution to the aborted fetus, according to The Columbus Dispatch.
Franklin County Municipal Court Judge Cynthia Ebner determined that Fuentes should be held on a high bond due to there being a possible flight risk and for the safety of the victim.
This comes after Dr Caitlin Bernard, an Indianapolis obstetrician-gynecologist, revealed to the Dispatch that she was contacted by an Ohio medical professional to help the girl.
She said her clinic has received a sharp increase in the number of patients seeking abortion procured from the neighboring states due to the new bans.
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“It’s hard to imagine that in just a few short weeks we will have no ability to provide that care,” Bernard told the outlet.
ROE RAGE
President Biden even spoke of the girl’s case in a speech on Friday and used it as a talking point in favor of abortion rights.
“Imagine being that little girl,” Biden said in the speech.
“I’m serious. Just imagine being that little girl.”
Furious campaigners reacted to the fresh case on Twitter as one labeled the new laws as “monstrous.”
A second wrote: “This makes me sick to my stomach.”
While a third concerned mother wrote: “My child will be 10 in a few months. They are still a baby. I can’t even imagine the suffering they have put this baby through and continue to do so.”
FUENTES’ CHARGES
Huhn testified that Fuentes admitted to having sexual contact with the girl to detectives through an interpreter, the Dispatch reported.
Fuentes is believed to be in the country illegally and there are questions about his identity, according to Assistant Franklin County Prosecutor Dan Meyer.
An attorney with the public defender’s office Clark Torbett said that Fuentes had lived in Columbus for the last seven years and has a steady job at a café.
He also said it is unconstitutional to hold the alleged rapist on no bail as the paternity results of the victim’s pregnancy are still pending.
Judge Ebner resigned to hold Fuentes on a $2million bond.
Fuentes has been charged with rape which is a first-degree felony in Ohio.
He is being held in the Franklin County jail.