HILLSBORO, Ore.- On July 18, 2019, Judge Charles Bailey sentenced Juan Perales Jr. to 75 months in prison. On June 20, 2019, Perales was convicted on multiple charges including first-degree sexual abuse, fourth-degree assault constituting domestic violence, strangulation and menacing constituting domestic violence. The case was prosecuted by Senior Deputy District Attorney John Gerhard.
On December 21, 2018, Perales, who lived and worked in Seattle, Washington at the time, convinced the victim to come to his hotel. He told her it would be safe because there would be other people at the facility.
Once inside his room, Perales became agitated and began to threaten the victim because she wanted to end their relationship. He grabbed a handgun and pulled the slide back in an attempt to intimidate her. The woman tried to leave the room, but Perales grabbed her by the neck and pushed her onto the bed. He then used his body weight to pin her to the bed and began kissing her despite her objections. He covered her mouth and nose with his hand to muffle her screams, obstructing her breathing in the process.
As he continued to hold her down, Perales then forcibly engaged in sexual activity with her against her will. The victim was screaming so loudly that hotel security called to check on the room twice. During the second call the victim was able to escape the room and was seen on hotel surveillance video running from Perales as he chased her down a hallway. He put her in a headlock and tried to drag her back into his room but ended up locking himself out.
Beaverton Police arrived a short time later and arrested Perales. He admitted to engaging in the unwanted sexual contact with the victim and also admitted he prevented her from leaving the hotel at least three times.
“Mr. Perales subjected his victim to a horrific situation, and no person deserves to be treated that way,” Gerhard said of the abuse committed by Perales. “I am thankful that he was held accountable for his crimes. The Washington County DA’s Office is committed to our mission of protecting vulnerable victims, including domestic violence survivors.”
The Washington County District Attorney’s Office would like to acknowledge the work of Beaverton Police Detective Chad Opitz on this case. We’d also like to commend the victim for her bravery in testifying in court.
In addition to his prison sentence, the defendant will have to register as a sex offender for life, and he will also be subject to 10 years of post-prison supervision with recommendations for sex offender and domestic violence counseling.
Perales has been transferred to the Oregon Department of Corrections to serve his sentence.
HILLSBORO, Ore.- On June 28th, 2019, a Washington County jury found Rondrae Devante Jefferson guilty of all charges brought against him. He was convicted of first-degree forcible rape, three counts of second-degree sex abuse and third-degree rape. The case was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Chris Lewman in Judge Andrew Erwin’s courtroom.
Beaverton Police began investigating Jefferson in November of 2017 when one of his three known victims reported he raped her. During the course of the investigation, detectives discovered two additional victims who all reported similar attacks at the hands of Jefferson.
In all three cases, Jefferson met his victims through social media and arranged to meet in person. The first known attack took place in 2015. The victim in that case was only 16-years-old when Jefferson met her and invited her to a party. In this case, Jefferson violently assaulted her before he began to rape her. The victim reported the attack to several friends shortly thereafter.
The second victim was only 15-years-old when she met Jefferson online and agreed to meet with him. Jefferson took the victim to a nearby park and sexually assaulted her in his car.
The third victim was 17-years-old when Jefferson used social media to invite her to a house party. The victim became intoxicated. Jefferson then followed her into a bedroom where he sexually assaulted her.
Investigators fear there could be additional victims who have yet to come forward. We urge anyone with information about crimes involving Jefferson to call law enforcement.
The Washington County District Attorney’s Office would like to acknowledge the work of Beaverton Police Officer Paul Fleckenstein and Detective Cindy Herring for their work on this case. We’d also like to commend the victims for having the courage to come forward and testify in court.
A sentencing hearing in this case is set for August 9, 2019.
HILLSBORO, Ore.- On July 1, 2019, Judge Ted Sims sentenced Justine Mims to 30 days in jail and three years of probation with ordered mental health treatment. Judge Sims also barred Mims from having any contact with her victims. On June 27, 2019, Mims was found guilty in a bench trial of second-degree trespass and misdemeanor stalking. The case was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Greg Brown.
Mims was a student in the victim’s class at an area college when she began to engage in repeated unwanted contact. In 2017, she began emailing the victim repeatedly and attended his office hours with increasing frequency. The victim became more concerned when Mims requested they begin a sexual relationship. He refused, and alerted authorities at the university. They issued an order barring Mims from having any contact with the victim, an order she violated repeatedly. This behavior prompted school officials to expel her from the university.
This action did not put an end to the harassment. In January of 2018, the victim returned home from work to find Mims waiting for him in his driveway. She refused to leave his property despite several orders to do so. The victim was forced to barricade himself inside his home, along with his two children, as he called 911. Mims could be heard turning door knobs in an effort to gain entry as the victim waited for law enforcement. Washington County Sheriff’s deputies then arrived and again ordered Mims to leave the residence. She refused and was arrested.
The Washington County District Attorney’s Office would like to acknowledge the work of Washington County Sheriff’s Deputies Trevor Cooley and Steven Fittinger in addition to Corporal Theresa Fichter for their work on this case.
Mims has been transferred to the Washington County Jail to begin serving her sentence.
HILLSBORO, Ore.- On June 25, 2019, Judge Andrew Erwin sentenced Ruby Lavonne Bolton to 15 days in jail and five years of probation. Judge Erwin also ordered Bolton to pay $73,593.90 in compensatory fines and $17,307 in restitution, both to be paid to the Oregon Department of Human Services (DHS). On May 8, 2019, Bolton was convicted of three counts of first-degree theft, three counts of unlawfully obtaining public assistance and three counts of unlawfully using supplemental nutritional assistance (SNAP). Deputy District Attorney Bik-Na Han prosecuted the case against Bolton.
Investigators with DHS found that from 2010-2016 Bolton applied for and received more than $110,000 in benefits she wasn’t qualified for. Bolton falsified her application forms over the years, claiming to be a single mother with no other sources of income. In fact, she married her husband in 2010 and concealed his income that contributed to their household on the benefits application forms. Over the years, she was successfully able to hide her household income until an alert DHS caseworker uncovered the deception. Unfortunately, due to the statute of limitations, the prosecution of Bolton could only occur starting from 2015 and thereafter.
Over the years, Bolton received funds from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF), and Employment Related Day Care (ERDC). She was also living in Section 8 housing provided by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
The DHS investigator also discovered that Bolton failed to disclose that her brother-in-law, who was also bringing in an income, was living in her household as well. Additionally, Bolton was receiving daycare expenses from DHS, HUD, and from her husband.
The Washington County District Attorney’s Office would like to acknowledge the work of DHS, the caseworker who first spotted the discrepancies, as well as the members of the community who attended trial and gave statements. The DHS investigator as well as numerous staff members of DHS, helped collect hundreds of pages of records and complete calculations for purposes of this investigation.
Bolton has been transferred to the Washington County Jail to serve her sentence.
HILLSBORO, Ore.- On June 7, 2019, Judge Ted Sims sentenced Roberto Santiago Martinez, age 38, to 75 months in prison after he was convicted of first-degree sex abuse. The case was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Chris Lewman.
In August of 2017, a then 11-year-old girl spent the night at Martinez’s home. Early the next morning, she awoke to find Martinez in the bedroom standing over her and touching her in a sexual manner. The victim told at least three other children about the abuse at the time, but it went unreported to authorities for a year. Eventually, the victim was no longer able to conceal her emotional distress and reported the abuse to a school counselor. That counselor then immediately notified the proper authorities.
The victim was interviewed by experts at CARES Northwest where she described the abuse consistent with her original story told a year earlier.
Martinez was already serving a 150-month prison sentence for impregnating a 14-year-old girl in a separate case. The 75 months ordered by Judge Sims will run consecutive to the 150 months previously imposed on Martinez.
Investigators fear there could be other victims who have not yet come forward. Anyone with information about additional crimes committed by Martinez should contact law enforcement.
The Washington County District Attorney’s Office would like to acknowledge the bravery shown by the victim in testifying in court. We’d also like to thank Washington County Sheriff’s Detectives Robert Rookhuyzen and Ryan Hickey for their work on this case, as well as CARES Northwest and the Oregon Department of Human Services.