Accused of getting a 14-year-old runaway drunk, putting her in a chokehold and molesting her, a 32-year-old Crowheart, Wyoming, man faces a potential lifetime in prison.
Quinlin James Hernandez, 32, pleaded not guilty Thursday to nine counts of sexual abuse and aggravated sexual abuse, according to his court file in the U.S. District Court for Wyoming.
His trial is set for Aug. 26 in Casper.
Wind River Police Department officers found a 14-year-old girl at Hernandez’s home in Crowheart on April 13, after she’d been reported missing three days prior, according to the original complaint filed in the case.
The girl was found when she texted a family member and provided a location pin. She told police Hernandez had raped her, and she underwent a sexual assault nurse examination, the document says.
Law enforcement personnel interviewed her briefly the day she was found and arranged a forensic interview for April 18. The child said she snuck out of her house April 10 to hang out with her friend, another juvenile.
Hernandez, who went by “James,” picked the kids up in a silver sedan, and two other minors were also in the vehicle, the affidavit says.
Hernandez reportedly drove the juveniles to his home, where they all drank Black Velvet whiskey he’d bought.
The next night, he tried to kiss the girl and she declined, the document says.
Hernandez allegedly became angry and put the girl in a chokehold until she almost lost consciousness, then later raped her while she was drunk on the couch.
The girl reportedly told police she tried to resist his force, but he overpowered her, and that he raped her again the following day.
Potential Life Sentence
FBI Special Agent Adrianne Culver interviewed Hernandez on April 23.
He admitted to picking up the juveniles in Riverton and driving them to his home, says the document.
The affidavit says Hernandez at first denied having any sexual contact with the girl, but later admitted putting her in a chokehold, “accidentally” touching her genitalia, then molesting her.
This case is being charged federally because Hernandez is an enrolled tribal member and it happened on the Wind River Indian Reservation.
Six of the nine sexual-abuse counts Hernandez faces carries a maximum sentence of life in prison. Four of them carry a minimum sentence of 30 years in prison.
These penalties are steeper than those associated with the state-level crimes charged off the reservation, where the most serious rape offense is punishable by between five and 50 years in prison.
Hernandez remains in jail, his court file indicates.
Clair McFarland can be reached at clair@cowboystatedaily.com.
