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A grand jury in Ohio has indicted the man accused of raping and impregnating a 10-year-old girl who traveled to Indiana for an abortion that became a flashpoint in the national debate over access to the procedure.

The 27-year-old defendant, Gerson Fuentes, was charged with two felony counts of rape in an indictment filed Thursday in county court in Columbus.

An attorney representing Fuentes did not respond to a request for comment.

The defendantsarraignment is scheduled for Monday.

Fuentes confessed to raping the young girl at least twice, according to Columbus Police Department detective Jeffrey Huhn.

The girl also identified Fuentes as the man who impregnated her, police say.

The rape happened on or around May 10, according to court documents.

Police became involved after Franklin County Child Services alerted officers of the rape. Child services is mandated to report rapes when they become aware of them. The initial report came from the mother of the girl, Huhn testified in court earlier in July.

The girl was later taken to Indiana to get an abortion, according to Huhn.

Dr. Caitlin Bernard, who performed the abortion, filed a reporton the procedure with Indiana officials several days later. It remains unclear if Bernard reported suspected child abuse, which is mandatory under Indiana law. The state child services agency declined to release records, citing privacy provisions.

Fuentes is in the country illegally, according to a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement official.

The official told The Epoch Times that there is no history of deportation, meaning Fuentes may have only crossed the border once.

The Columbus Police Department listed Fuentess nationality as Central America information accompanying his mugshot.

In prosecutors motion to hold Fuentes without bail, they said Fuentes is not a U.S. citizen.

Due to the potential sentence the defendant is facing, coupled with potential deportation, there is no release conditions that can reasonably assure the safety of the victim, a [redacted] year old child, who remains a key witness in the case against the defendant, Franklin County assistant prosecuting attorney Daniel Meyer wrote in the motion, which was obtained by The Epoch Times.

The court opted to give Fuentes $2 million bond, but he has remained locked up because he has not posted the bond, according to jail and court records.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Zachary Stieber covers U.S. and world news. He is based in Maryland.

Originally posted here:
Illegal Immigrant Indicted in Rape of Young Girl Who Traveled for Abortion - The Epoch Times