Ohio man arrested, charged with raping 10-year-old girl, debunking conservative myths that it didn’t happen

A man was arrested in Ohio on Tuesday for the rape of a 10-year-old girl, a story that South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) called “fake news” on Twitter last week.

Columbus police pressed charges against a 27-year-old Columbus man named Gershon Fuentes, who was arrested after police say he confessed to raping the girl on more than one occasion, according to The Columbus Dispatch. The victim was forced to travel to Indiana to receive a medical abortion after being impregnated following the assault. After Roe v. Wade was overturned last month, abortion became illegal in Ohio after six weeks of gestation.

Fuentes’s admission confirms the horrific story that has been downplayed by Republican supporters and lawmakers, including Noem and Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost.

A week ago, @DanaBashCNN tried to trap me with a story about a 10-year old girl who got an abortion. I pointed out that nobody was asking about the pervert who raped that child.

Now it looks like the story was fake to begin with. Literal #FakeNews from the liberal media. https://t.co/43Ccz63iPy

— Kristi Noem (@KristiNoem) July 9, 2022

Due to its disturbing nature, the story gained national attention. President Joe Biden mentioned it when he signed an executive order expanding reproductive rights last week.

“This isn’t some imagined horror,” said Biden. “It’s already happening. Just last week, it was reported that a 10-year-old girl was a rape victim – 10 years old – and she was forced to have to travel out of state to Indiana to seek to terminate the pregnancy and maybe save her life.”

Even though many states have seen reproductive rights greatly diminished after the Supreme Court’s decision, Republican lawmakers are contemplating doubling down with a national abortion ban if they take control of Congress after the 2022 midterm elections.