Alleged rapist's identity still unknown

By FRANK ANDRUSCAVAGE and peter E. bortner
Published: August 29, 2009

SHENANDOAH - A man charged earlier this month with raping a teenage girl in the borough still has not been identified.

Arraigned as John Doe, the man was committed to Schuylkill County Prison in lieu of $500,000 straight cash bail.

A prison official said the man, listed only as "AKA John Doe" remains there on charges stemming from the alleged Aug. 13 attack.

Shenandoah police Chief Matthew R. Nestor said that as of Thursday, the man still has not been identified.

Nestor said that when the man was taken into custody, he was taken to the state police station in Frackville for a Live Scan, which takes a person's fingerprints and compares them to a national database to see if a match is available from a prior arrest or incident. However, the scan turned up nothing.

"He has no record or was never fingerprinted in the United States," Nestor said. "We just don't know who he is."

Nestor said his department is working with county District Attorney James P. Goodman's office and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials in trying to determine the man's identity.

Chief County Detective Anthony C. Carroll confirmed that the man's identity has still not been determined.

"It's still the same," Carroll said.

When contacted Thursday, an operator at the ICE district office in Philadelphia said no one was available to comment on or give an update on the case.

"He's only here three days a week," the woman said, referring to the agent involved.

Goodman said Friday that ICE officials have met with the unidentified man, but also have not been able to confirm his identity. However, ICE did act to ensure that the man would not be going free, Goodman said.

"They placed a detainer on him," meaning that he would go to an ICE detention facility if he were released from the county prison, Goodman said.

The man initially identified himself as Ivan Rodriguez but Patrolman Jason Hayes, the arresting officer, said he later admitted that name was false and he only used it to secure employment.

At the time of his arrest, Hayes said it was suspected the man was in the country illegally but that has still not been confirmed.

ICE, which is part of the Department of Homeland Security, handles deportation of illegal aliens from the United States.

"Our detectives are continuing to work with ICE" to try to establish the man's identity, Goodman said. "We'll take care of the legal proceeding."

Goodman said he thinks lacking the man's actual name will not interfere with his prosecution, saying he has had other cases in which a defendant's name was not known.

"I don't think it makes much of a difference," he said. "It will come down to the victim's testimony."

Magisterial District Judge Anthony J. Kilker, Shenandoah, arraigned the man, believed to be 19 years old, on Aug. 14 on charges of one felony count each of rape and statutory sexual assault; one misdemeanor count each of indecent exposure and corruption of minors; three felony counts of aggravated indecent assault and three misdemeanor counts of indecent assault. Kilker scheduled the man's preliminary hearing for 10 a.m. Sept. 30.

Hayes said the man pulled the 13-year-old girl into his 234 W. Coal St. home and gave her a drink and two white pills that she willingly took.

Hayes said the girl told him that shortly after taking the pills, she became "groggy and light-headed" and that he carried her to an upstairs bedroom, locked the door and raped her for about 15 or 20 minutes.

When the effects of the pills began to wear off, the girl said she got enough energy to hit the man in the head, causing him to strike his head off of a wall, Hayes said.

Hayes said at that point, the girl was able to grab her clothing and run out of the home.

http://www.republicanherald.com/news/1.216281

Related:
http://www.alipac.us/ftopict-167071-shenandoah.html