SJ PD SAYS HUMAN SMUGGLER KIDNAPPED WOMAN, RAPED HER

SAN JUAN – If the firstdegree felony charges stick, this case might be accurately described as a living nightmare for the 20-year-old woman forced to live through it. Last Tuesday, March 24th, San Juan police dispatch received a 911 call from a distraught woman who claimed that she was being held against her will at an unknown city residence. She said that she had snuck across the border illegally approximately seven months prior, and shortly after entering the U.S., she had been sexually assaulted by two males, one of whom was the man she had paid to smuggle her across. He had been keeping her captive ever since, she told police. After approximately 40 minutes, San Juan police investigators were able to locate the woman at a residence located in the 200 block of East 9th street. Investigators rescued the female and transported her to the San Juan Police Department where she was debriefed. She knew the man’s name and accurately pointed him out as her abductor after criminal investigators showed her a photo line-up, according to San Juan Police Chief Juan Gonzalez. The following day, police arrested the suspect, later identified as San Juan resident Noe Mendoza, 52, who has multiple human- smuggling cases already pending, according to Gonzalez. Asked to explain why Mendoza was still walking the streets, given his long rap sheet, Gonzalez made mention of the typical scenario in south Texas: the cases get bogged down in court, delays stacked on top of delays, while those accused of felonies and multiple misdemeanors, such as Mendoza, remain free on bond. But in this case, considering the nature of his alleged crimes, Gonzalez said, Mendoza is still in police custody as of this week after being handed a half-milliondollar bond by Municipal Court Judge Eloy Hernandez. The human-smuggling charge may be the least of Mendoza’s worries if prosecutors win their day in court. Because in addition to allegedly smuggling the female victim across the river, police have also charged him with aggravated kidnapping and sexual assault. According to Gonzalez, the victim said that Mendoza had held her captive for seven months, never allowing her to leave the residence, and to add even more misery to the mix, she said that she is now five months pregnant with his child, allegedly thanks to her abductor’s repeated sexual assaults. The special-crimes unit that arrested Mendoza last Wednesday goes by the “handle” of HIKE: Home Invasions, Kidnapping and Extortion. If anyone has more information on this crime or any other related to HIKE, they are asked to phone police at (956) 259-4453 or contact them via online access at www.hiketips.com HIKE Investigators were assisted in the case by law enforcement officers from the Border Patrol Fist Teams, HSI and Texas DPS Weslaco. Gonzalez said that an increase in home invasions, kidnappings and extortions prompted the San Juan PD to form the specialized criminal investigative unit last month, which now includes eight outside police agencies. “It’s proving to be a success,” he said this week. “We’ve already brought charges in two cases, and we’re investigating between 10 and 12 related cases.” It’s the policy of this newspaper to not name people who say they have been the victims of sexual crimes. In the meantime, the victim is being “blasted” on some Valley social media sites. Some posters say this is a scam on her part. After sneaking across the border, get intentionally impregnated so she can stay in the U.S., climb aboard the welfare gravy train and never have to return to Mexico. That sort of thing. Asked to comment, Gonzalez said, “She called 911 and this is a significant case. I can’t share other info because he (Mendoza) is associated with other major smugglers, but this is a very legit and serious case.” Asked how the woman got her hands on a cell phone, Gonzalez said, “The suspect bought her the phone. This relationship would have never occurred if she was not smuggled by this smuggling ring. He and the family never met until she was smuggled. These are smuggling cases that turn into (sexual) trafficking cases once they sexually exploit them even for personal relationships. It’s a clear-cut human trafficking case. He (Noe Mendoza) will face federal charges as well. This is a good HIKE arrest and case for us.”