A54907600

In 1992, a 13-year-old girl was babysitting at a friend’s house. She had fallen asleep on the couch while watching TV. At some point in the night, she heard someone talking to her and thought it was her friend, but then she realized someone was unbuttoning her pants and she knew it was not her friend. She tried to rebutton her pants, but was stopped when she felt a knife against her. The intruder then told her to take off her shirt, which he tied around her face to blindfold her. He then fully disrobed her.

After she was naked, the man put his penis in her mouth and told her to suck. He then tried to anally rape her before vaginally raping her. While he was vaginally raping her, he told her to open her legs, to squeeze him, to hold him “harder and tighter.” After he finished raping her, he left her blindfolded and fled.

This crime went unsolved for years until a DNA hit was obtained out of Georgia. Jose Garcia Mendez had been convicted of sexual battery in Georgia and, upon his release, gave a DNA sample. Police still had trouble tracking him down because had failed to register as a sex offender and had also been deported to Mexico. Eventually, however, Mendez was brought back to Ohio and found guilty of Rape and Aggravated Burglary.

Mendez has committed at least two sex offenses that we know of. While it is unclear what occurred in Georgia, the offense that he committed in Ohio involved him using a knife to threaten his victim while raping her. Notably, during the rape exam at the hospital, it was observed that her arm was bleeding.

Mendez’s criminal history shows that he is a violent sex offender. Under no circumstances should he be granted early release.

Public Hearing Comments