Man from Wind River Reservation charged with rape…

A 32-year-old man from Crowheart, Wyoming, faces life in prison on charges he got a 14-year-old runaway drunk, choked her and sexually assaulted her.

Quinlin James Hernandez, 32, pleaded not guilty Thursday to nine counts of sexual abuse and aggravated sexual abuse, according to his court filing in U.S. District Court for Wyoming.

His trial is scheduled for August 26 in Casper.

Wind River police officers found a 14-year-old girl at Hernandez’s home in Crowheart on April 13 after she was reported missing three days earlier, according to the original complaint in the case.

The girl was found when she texted a family member and provided a location PIN. She told police Hernandez raped her, and she underwent an examination by a nurse who specializes in sexual assault, the document says.

On the day she was found, law enforcement officials briefly interviewed her and scheduled a forensic interview for April 18. The child said she sneaked out of the house on April 10 to hang out with her girlfriend, another minor.

Hernandez, who called himself “James,” picked up the children in a silver sedan. There were also two other minors in the vehicle, the affidavit states.

Hernandez reportedly drove the teens to his house, where they all drank the Black Velvet Whiskey he had purchased.

The next night, he tried to kiss the girl, but she refused, the document says.

Hernandez allegedly became angry and put the girl in a chokehold until she nearly lost consciousness. He later raped her as she lay drunk on the couch.

The girl told police that she tried to resist his violence, but he overpowered her and raped her again the next day.

Possible life sentence

FBI Special Agent Adrianne Culver interviewed Hernandez on April 23.

He admitted to picking up the teens in Riverton and driving them to his home, the document says.

The affidavit states that Hernandez initially denied any sexual contact with the girl, but later admitted to putting her in a chokehold, “accidentally” touching her genitals and then sexually assaulting her.

This case is being charged in federal court because Hernandez is an enrolled tribal member and the incident occurred on the Wind River Indian Reservation.

Six of the nine sexual abuse charges Hernandez faces carry a maximum sentence of life in prison, while four carry a minimum sentence of 30 years.

These penalties are harsher than those imposed for off-reservation crimes at the state level, where the most serious rape offenses carry a prison sentence of between five and 50 years.

According to his court records, Hernandez remains in prison.

Claire McFarland can be reached at [email protected].