WILLMAR -- A Kandiyohi County grand jury has indicted Jose Santoya Juarez, 51, of Willmar, on four charges stemming from the alleged sexual assault of a woman July 27 at and near the Eagles Club in Willmar.
The ind-ictment was filed Tuesday in Ka-ndiyohi Co-unty District Court and cha-rges Juar-ez with at-tempted first-degree criminal sexual conduct, second-degree criminal sexual conduct, kidnapping and third-degree assault.
Juarez' next appearance is an omnibus hearing on Dec. 6.
Unconditional bail remains at $750,000 with conditional bail at $400,000.
If convicted of the charges, Juarez could be sentenced to life in prison, under a state statute that takes into consideration previous sexual offenses and additional heinous elements of the crime.
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According to the complaint filed with the original charges against Juarez on July 29, Willmar police officers were dispatched around 8:45 p.m. July 27 to the 600 block of Litchfield Avenue Southwest, regarding a woman heard screaming. Officers found an adult woman who was being helped by a male friend. She told officers she had been assaulted by a middle-aged, Latino male.
The woman said that the man, later identified as Juarez, had earlier grabbed her breast and attempted to touch her groin area and had also done similar things to another woman at the Eagles Club. Juarez had been told by the bar staff to leave. He had left the bar but later allegedly grabbed the woman as she stepped out the back door to smoke a cigarette.
The woman told police Juarez grabbed her, took her into an alley, pinned her to the ground, covered her mouth, smacked her head against the concrete and caused her to black out for a few moments. She said Juarez then attempted to pull her clothing off, exposed his genitals and demanded oral sex. The woman continued to scream at Juarez and yell for help until the friend and others came and pulled Juarez off her.
The woman had managed to push the "talk to talk" button on her cell phone, allowing her friend to hear her screaming and come to her assistance.
Juarez was detained nearby, along Pacific Avenue, and was taken into custody soon after the incident. He was positively identified by the woman and several witnesses.
According to Tribune archives, Juarez was convicted of third-degree criminal sexual conduct in October 1997 for raping an acquaintance who was working at a Willmar group home for people with mental disabilities. A four-year prison sentence against him was stayed, and he also was sentenced to pay a fine, serve 180 days in jail and 10 years of probation.
Juarez was also charged with first- and second-degree criminal sexual conduct in July 2004, on allegations he molested an 11-year-old girl. Those charges were dismissed because the key witness in the case moved out of state.
He also has convictions for possessing a dangerous weapon without a permit, also in 1997, a fifth-degree assault conviction in March 2002 and a disorderly conduct conviction arising out of a domestic situation in March 2009.
