Man allegedly rapes minor inside restroom of church

An 18-year-old man who had just graduated from high school was arrested over the weekend for allegedly raping a 13-year-old girl inside the restroom of the Jesus is Lord Church last June 2.

During a bail hearing yesterday, Superior Court Associate Judge Theresa Kim-Tenorio imposed a $20,000 cash bail on John Timothy Villasis Vergara, 18, for the charges of sexual abuse of a minor in the first degree and sexual assault in the first degree.

Vergara, who was remanded back to the Department of Corrections, was ordered to return to court on June 21 for a preliminary hearing before Associate Judge Kenneth Govendo and again on June 28 at 9am to be arraigned before Presiding Judge Robert Naraja.

According to court documents, two sexual abuse of a minor cases were filed against Vergara: one for an incident that allegedly happened in Micro Beach back in August 2020, and another that allegedly happened in the restroom of the Jesus is Lord Church last June 2.

During an interview with the victim’s mother on June 8 at around 11:24am, she told Department of Public Safety investigators that Vergara raped her daughter for the second time in the church’s restroom during a church anniversary practice.

On Wednesday, June 9, a DPS investigator attended a forensic interview with the victim at the Division of Youth Services where she alleged that the second incident happened at around 7pm on June 2.

The victim stated that she was using the female restroom outside of the church and when she was about to step out, Vergara allegedly pushed her back into the restroom, pushed her face first against the wall and proceeded to remove her pants and underwear from behind her before allegedly forcing himself on her.

She further stated that she was scared of Vergara because he was older, stronger, and “people would believe what he had to say.”

On June 11, a forensic interview was conducted with a minor who allegedly witnessed Vergara coming out of the restroom after the incident. She said the victim had told her she was going to use the restroom and after waiting for her for about 15 minutes, the witness said she went outside the restroom to wait for the victim and that’s when she allegedly saw Vergara walk out of the female restroom and observed that he was panting and appeared nervous before rushing to close the restroom door.

The first incident that happened on August 2020 was reported at the Commonwealth Health Center on Jan. 25. During an interview with Dr. Heather Taylor, the victim wrote on a paper that when they were celebrating her brother’s birthday at Micro Beach, she went into the ocean with her mother’s friend’s son, Vergara. The victim said she allegedly felt Vergara’s hands on her chest before he pulled her pants down and his penis entered her vagina. That prompted the doctor to report the incident to DPS. There was no immediate word why DPS failed to act on the first incident.