Missionary charged with 3 felonies accusing him of sexually assaulting lady

SARATOGA SPRINGS — A Latter-day Saint missionary arrested over the weekend and accused of sexually assaulting a lady is now going through three first-degree felony expenses.

Abraham Isaac Cruz Hernandez, 19, of Huntington Park, California, was booked into the Utah County Jail on Saturday and charged Wednesday in 4th District Court docket with rape and two counts of forcible sodomy.

“This particular person was instantly faraway from his volunteer missionary service as quickly because the church discovered of those very critical and troubling allegations,” The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints mentioned in a press release Tuesday. “The church is cooperating totally with regulation enforcement on this investigation. Missionaries are anticipated to abide by the best requirements, and those that don’t will probably be launched and despatched residence, and in conditions involving legal allegations, additionally face lack of church membership.”

Saratoga Springs police have been known as to a house the place a lady mentioned she was sexually assaulted by a person who lives throughout the road, based on a police reserving affidavit. Officers arrived to search out Hernandez standing in a driveway.

In response to charging paperwork, Hernandez, the sufferer and two others “had been taking part in video games late into the evening and determined it was time for everybody to depart.”

The alleged sufferer informed police “Abraham grabbed her and started kissing her, which she initially consented to,” based on the affidavit.

However Hernandez then grew to become extra forceful and sexually assaulted the sufferer even after she informed him to cease and tried to push him away, the affidavit alleges. “Shortly after their mates got here within the storage and informed them to cease.”

Police famous within the arrest report that Hernandez is at present serving as a missionary and “doesn’t have any household, assist system, or ties inside Utah. If launched he’ll possible return to his residence state of California.”

A decide has ordered that Hernandez be held within the Utah County Jail with out the potential for posting bail pending trial.