Maryland men charged with sexually assaulting a minor at gunpoint in multiple counties
Two Maryland men are facing charges after Aberdeen Police said they sexually assaulted a 17-year-old girl at gunpoint in a motel.
Jeofredo Andason Santos Bernal, 24, of Parkville, and Miguel De Jesus Pineda Lopez, 27, of Baltimore, were both charged with rape, use of a firearm, and other related offenses, according to police.
Officers were at a motel in the 900 block of Hospitality Way on Saturday, May 9, around 2:18 p.m., when they saw a minor outside who appeared to be in distress.
The officers determined that the minor may have been the victim of a violent crime. Bernal and Lopez were identified as suspects during the investigation and arrested during a traffic stop in Aberdeen, police said.
Detectives obtained a search warrant, allowing them to recover additional evidence, including a handgun that they believe is connected to the offense.
The investigation is ongoing, and anyone with information is asked to call detectives at 410-272-2121 and follow these steps: press # 2, press #8, and dial extension 162.
"The trauma that she experienced with a firearm and all the other allegations. It was a terrible situation for her," said Aberdeen Police Capt. Will Reiber.
Alleged rape starts in Prince George's County
The teenage girl was using Snapchat to find a ride from her location in Prince George's County when she was picked up by two men she didn't know, and she was raped at gunpoint for multiple hours, according to charging documents obtained by CBS News Baltimore.
She told police that the conversation immediately turned sexual, despite telling them, "she wasn't seeking sexual activity."
Police said the men then drove her to the Lanham Forest Recreation Center, where the girl was given alcohol before things "escalated from sexualized verbal pressure to physical assault," charging documents stated.
Police said the men raped the girl multiple times while displaying a gun.
"It's an illustration of the predatory nature of individuals who are out there looking for vulnerable people," Reiber said.
Teen escapes from Aberdeen motel
According to the charging documents, after making "several stops throughout the night and early morning," the same men booked a room at the Red Roof in Aberdeen, and allegedly raped the girl several more times.
The girl told police she "was still fearful that she would be shot if she did not comply."
The girl escaped when the men fell asleep around 2 p.m., and she sought help from police, who were helping a family in need at the same motel.
"After they had finished up, they noticed a juvenile that was clearly in a state of distress," Reiber said. "The victim appeared to be disheveled and emotional, and our officer took it upon himself to go over and have a conversation with that juvenile."
Arrests made
After learning about the allegations, police immediately set up surveillance on the room, and when the men finally left, police initiated a traffic stop and took them into custody.
Evidence, including the gun, was collected from their car and hotel room.
The girl, while traumatized, according to Cpt. Reiber, is expected to be OK.
"You're a juvenile, you're alone, and you're in an area that is unfamiliar to you, and you've been threatened with a firearm so these were all things that were very shocking," Reiber said.
