Chippewa County man receives probation in exchange for child sexual assault plea
Rodolfo Morataya Lopez / Mower County Jail Roster
(ABC 6 News) – A Montevido man received a 10-year probation sentence, plus 7 more days in Mower County Jail after pleading guilty to sexually assaulting a 5-year-old.
Rodolfo Morataya Lopez, 43, pleaded guilty to one count of 2nd-degree criminal sexual conduct with a child in November of 2023.
Lopez entered an Alford plea, according to court records.
An Alford plea is a type of guilty plea wherein a defendant maintains that they are innocent but concedes that the prosecution has enough evidence of their guilt that they could be convicted in court.
Two charges of 1st-degree criminal sexual conduct were dismissed at sentencing Thursday, Feb. 8.
Lopez was sentenced to 187 days in Mower County Jail, with credit for 180 days already spent in jail.
If Lopez fails to complete his probation, he could be re-sentenced to 36 months in prison, with credit for the 187 days spent in confinement, according to Minnesota Court Records.
He was also ordered to complete sex offender programming, avoid unsupervised contact with children or vulnerable adults, and register as a predatory offender.
Lopez was also fined $1,000.
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(ABC 6 News) – A Montevido man pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a 5-year-old girl ahead of his jury trial this week.
According to Minnesota court records, Rodolfo Morataya Lopez, now 43, pleaded guilty to one count of 2nd-degree criminal sexual conduct with a child.
Lopez entered an Alford plea, according to court records.
An Alford plea is a type of guilty plea wherein a defendant maintains that they are innocent but concedes that the prosecution has enough evidence of their guilt that they could be convicted in court.
Two counts of 1st-degree criminal sexual conduct with a child will be dismissed at sentencing, according to Lopez’s plea agreement.
Lopez, who went by the name Manuel Jose Alvarez while living in Austin in 2021, remains in the Mower County Jail on $250,000 bail with no conditions, or $125,000 bail with conditions, including GPS monitoring and no unsupervised contact with persons under age 18.
His sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 8, 2024.
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(ABC 6 News) – A Montevideo man faces charges of molesting a 5-year-old after being arrested on a Mower County warrant Aug. 12.
Rodolfo Morataya Lopez, 41, was accused of sexually assaulting a 5-year-old Austin girl in March of 2021.
The Mower County Attorney’s Office charged Lopez with felony 1st-degree criminal sexual conduct–includes penetration with a child; 1st-degree criminal sexual conduct–sexual conduct with a child; and 2nd-degree criminal sexual conduct–sexual contact with a child.
According to court documents, Austin police originally questioned Lopez in January of 2021, when a woman reported that a child said Lopez had touched her inappropriately.
The woman and the child’s mother both spoke to the child about the alleged assault, then called the police.
According to court records, Lopez, who also went by the name Manuel Jose Alvarez while living in Austin, denied any inappropriate contact with the child.
Austin police told Lopez to avoid any contact with the child, and he agreed to find another place to live.
According to Minnesota court records, the charges were filed March 11, 2021. When Lopez failed to appear in court April 15, Mower County issued an arrest warrant.
According to Mower County Jail records, Lopez was taken to the jail on Aug. 12, 2023.
He is currently held in the Mower County Jail on $250,000 bail with no conditions, or $125,000 bail with conditions, including GPS monitoring and no unsupervised contact with persons under age 18.
Lopez is scheduled to appear again in Mower County Court Aug. 28.