A man in the U.S. illegally has been accused of kidnapping his ex-girlfriend and attempting to rape her after she refused to get back together with him.
On June 23, Rene Cervantes-Medina — a 37-year-old Mexican national living in Lehi, Utah, which is about 30 miles south of Salt Lake City — invited his live-in partner to go to the bank so that he could repay her some money he owed her, according to a probable cause statement shared with Blaze News. When she got into the vehicle, however, Cervantes-Medina reportedly locked the doors and — instead of driving to the bank — headed for American Fork Canyon, the statement said.
‘The defendant tried to pull down her pants and ripped her underwear in the process. The victim told the defendant ‘no’ and continued to cry and yell, at which point he hit her in the face, causing her nose and lip to bleed.’
During the drive, Cervantes-Medina told the woman he wanted to get back together with her, but she refused, the statement said. Fearing for her safety, she reportedly hopped out of the car, screamed for help, and attempted to flag down a passing motorist, but the suspect managed to restrain the victim, warning her “that if she continued to scream he would throw her into the canal they were standing next to,” the statement said.
Cervantes-Medina apparently continued to drive the woman farther up the mountain road, repeating that he wanted to get back together and that they were going to have sex that day “the easy way or the hard way,” according to the probable cause statement. The victim eventually attempted another escape, the statement added, after which the suspect got even more violent:
The defendant chased her, grabbed her, and threw her on the ground where her head hit a rock, causing her to nearly pass out. The defendant covered her mouth with his hand for 15-20 seconds, making it difficult for her to breathe. While the victim was on the ground, the defendant tried to remove her shirt while he was touching her breasts and vagina.
The defendant tried to pull down her pants and ripped her underwear in the process. The victim told the defendant ‘no’ and continued to cry and yell, at which point he hit her in the face, causing her nose and lip to bleed.
The suspect eventually drove the victim home but instructed her not to tell anyone, including her children, about what had just happened, the statement said, adding that if she did, “he was going to kill her.”
On July 11, Cervantes-Medina was arrested and booked into the Utah County jail without bail because of an ICE detainer issued against him. He has since been charged with kidnapping, sexual assault, sexual battery, threat of violence, attempted rape, domestic violence, and theft along with charges related to drug paraphernalia, driving without a license, and using plates registered to another vehicle.
The X account Illegal Alien Crimes shared a screenshot of the suspect’s booking information.
Blaze News reached out to the ICE field office in Salt Lake City for more information about Cervantes-Medina, including the circumstances regarding his entry into the U.S. While an agency spokesperson couldn’t clarify when or where Cervantes-Medina entered the country, she did say he was convicted of a DUI in American Fork, Utah, in May 2007.
(H/T: The Post Millennial)
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Illegal alien, Illegal immigrant, Immigration crime, Immigration crisis, Rene cervantes-medina, Crime, Utah, Mexican national, Sexual assault charge, Immigration and customs enforcement
