A 23-year-old Casper man faces three sexual assault charges in Natrona County District Court following the waiver of his preliminary hearing this week.
Orion Mestas was arrested by Evansville police Feb. 7 following an investigation of an alleged incident early Dec. 30, 2023, that followed the downing of a fifth of Jagermeister liquor and then going into the bedroom of a female acquaintance and sexually assaulting her, according to an arrest affidavit.
Court records show the alleged victim had “bar hopped” with friends the night before at different locations between Evansville and Casper and had ended the night at a friend’s residence.
She announced she was going to bed, and the affidavit states she said she “exchanged greetings” with Mestas and “that was the extend to her interaction with him.”
“She woke up at about 0500 hours (5 a.m.), as she looked at her phone for the time, and it was at this time she had a male on top of her,” the affidavit states. “She remembered that she had gone to sleep with clothes on. Her pants … were down, and the subject was choking her.”
The affidavit states that Mestas was allegedly kissing her, and the woman thought he was another individual. When she mentioned that individual’s name and told him to stop in response to being choked, Mestas allegedly stated, “I’m not …. and then got up and went to the living room.”
Message To Victim
The alleged victim reported Mestas would later send her a message on Facebook Messenger saying, “Hey, sorry about everything that happened last night.”
Court documents show the victim reported the incident to the Casper Police Department, which did an initial investigation, and that she consented to an exam at Banner Health Wyoming Medical Center for the collection of forensic evidence.
An attempt by Casper police to interview Mestas about the incident led to them discovering he “had cut his own throat,” according to the arrest affidavit, and was hospitalized.
Evansville police would later interview Mestas on Jan. 17 at his residence in Casper, the affidavit states.
During that interview, he said he received a call from a “friend” who told him “she was accusing me of having had sex with her while sleeping.” He told the investigator he then tried to get “really intoxicated” and when the Casper police showed up, he “panicked.”
Defendant: She Said ‘Yes’
During the interview, Mestas acknowledged never meeting the victim before that night and told the investigator that “she was sleeping, I walked back into the room, and I woke her up and propositioned her, and she said ‘yes,’” the affidavit states.
The affidavit goes on to say that when asked why he thought he could “engage this female like that?” Mestas replied: “It was spur of the moment, I was intoxicated.”
In response to questions about his putting his hand around her throat, the affidavit states that he replied: “She asked me to do that.”
Mestas faces one count of sexual assault in the first degree, a felony punishable by up to 50 years in prison; one count of sexual assault in the second degree, a felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison; and one count of sexual assault in the third degree, a felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison.
Bond was set at $100,000 cash.
Dale Killingbeck can be reached at dale@cowboystatedaily.com.
