The man accused of raping a 10-year-old girl in Ohio, who was forced to travel to Indiana for an abortion, has now been pictured for the first time.
Gerson Fuentes, 27, was arrested on Tuesday and appeared in court in Ohio on Wednesday for his arraignment. He was charged with raping and impregnating a minor.
A police investigator testified at the hearing that Mr Fuentes confessed to raping the girl at least twice. It was unclear when the crime occurred.
The girl’s mother allegedly made a referral on 22 June with Franklin County Children Services for her daughter to receive an abortion in nearby Indiana, where clinics are still open.
That was when police in Colombus, Ohio, were first alerted to the case.
Abortions beyond six weeks were banned in Ohio following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v Wade on 24 June, with no exceptions in the state for cases of rape or incest.
The case has been widely rebuked by Republicans in recent weeks after the Indianapolis Star reported on the story on 1 July, citing a doctor in Indianapolis, Indiana, who received a call from a colleague in Ohio asking for help.
Ohio’s Republican Attorney General Dave Yost told USA TODAY before the arrest of Mr Fuentes that the details of the story were “more likely than not a fabrication” because there had been no arrest and no evidence uncovered, the Columbus Dispatch reported.
Other Republicans and conservative commentators had made similar claims.
Mr Yost was forced to backtrack on his earlier comments and issued a statement on Wednesday after the arrest. It read: “My heart aches for the pain suffered by this young child. I am grateful for the diligent work of the Columbus Police Department in securing a confession and getting a rapist off the street.”
Mr Fuentes is being held on $2m bond and is scheduled to appear in court again on 22 July for a preliminary hearing. It was not clear if he had an attorney or had entered a plea.
Additional reporting by Reuters
