A judge has ordered no release for a man accused of raping and impregnating a nine-year-old Columbus girl who traveled to Indiana for an abortion.
Franklin County Common Pleas Judge Julie Lynch cited overwhelming evidence Thursday and the fact that Gerson Fuentes is apparently living in the United States illegally.
The case has become a flashpoint in the national discussion over abortion access since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
Fuentes has pleaded not guilty. His attorney says there was no evidence of physical abuse outside of the rapes or that the girl had been put under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
Court documents indicate Fuentes confessed to police that he raped the girl on at least two occasions earlier this year, both times when she was nine-years-old.
Records show Franklin County Children Services reported the girl's subsequent pregnancy to Columbus police on June 22.
Two days later, an Ohio state law went into effect banning abortions after fetal cardiac activity is detected, which is usually around six weeks' gestation.
Bond had been set at $2 million on July 13. However, The Columbus Dispatch reported that Immigration and Customs Enforcement has signed an immigration detainer warrant that would prevent Fuentes, a native of Guatemala, from being released from custody, even if he were to post bond.
