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.