Odessan charged with sexual abuse of motel guest

ODESSA, Texas (KMID/KPEJ) – An Odessa man was arrested last week after investigators say he allegedly entered a motel room and sexually assaulted a sleeping woman. John Luis Fermin-Diaz was charged with residential burglary with intent to commit another crime.

According to an Odessa Police report, officers responded to the Royal Inn in the 2000 block of 2 on June 17^and Street to investigate a possible sexual assault. At the scene, officers encountered a woman who said she was sleeping in her motel bed when she woke up to someone touching her and noticed that her clothes had been removed.

The alleged victim told investigators she lay down for a nap and woke up when an unknown man staying in another motel room entered her room, removed her underwear and began touching her legs. The woman said she ordered the man out of her room and noticed some money was missing; then she called 911 to report the assault.

Investigators said they saw surveillance video in which a man, later identified as Fermin-Diaz, was seen walking past the woman’s motel room. Investigators said Fermin-Diaz walked up to the woman’s door, which was slightly ajar, walked inside and closed the door behind him. Investigators said he remained in the room for several minutes before leaving and running back to his own room.

When questioned, Fermin-Diaz told investigators the woman’s door was “wide open” and he came into the room to try to wake her up, but to no avail. Investigators said he was unable to explain what he was doing in the room for several minutes.

Fermin-Diaz was arrested at the scene and taken to the Ector County Law Enforcement Center, where he remained on $25,000 bail as of Tuesday morning.