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Two men charged with molestation after two girls found safe

The Associated Press - Monday, October 17, 2005
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BISMARCK, N.D.

Two illegal immigrants have been charged here with molesting two 13-year-old Belcourt girls, who were missing for nearly three days.

Julio Alvarez, 21, and Carlos Martinez, 30, both Mexican nationals, were charged on Monday with gross sexual imposition in South Central District Court, Burleigh County prosecutor Brandi Sasse Russell said.

The men are being held without bond in the Burleigh County jail, Russell said.

The two girls were found uninjured in Bismarck on Sunday. Their disappearance prompted an Amber Alert, a way for authorities to quickly inform the public through the media that a child is missing and might be in danger.

The teens were last seen at Bismarck's Kirkwood Mall about 6 p.m. Thursday, talking to two men.

Authorities said Saturday that the men might have lured the girls to the mall over the Internet, but they said Monday they had discounted the Internet theory.

"It's looking more like a chance meeting - and went from there," Russell said. "We have evidence that they had sex with these girls."

The men had been working on a new Wal-Mart under construction in south Bismarck, Russell said. The men had been staying in a local motel.

The girls were found in a vehicle on Sunday afternoon, Russell said.

Russell said the men also were being investigated by immigration officials. Russell said Martinez does not speak English.

The Class AA felony charge carries a maximum punishment of life in prison and a $10,000 fine, Russell said.

One of the girls has been released to her parents, and the other is being held in a juvenile detention center in Mandan, for a reason police would not discuss. Police said both girls face runaway charges.