10-year-old Ohio Girl's Rape Accused Pleads Not Guilty, Backtracks On Confession

A man accused of a 10-year-old Ohio girl's rape has backtracked on his confession and pled not guilty to the crime Monday. The case is being closely watched across the country after President Joe Biden said that a child shouldn't be forced to give birth to a rapist's child.

Ohio's Attorney General Dave Yost said his office hadn't heard a whisper about the child's rape from prosecutors or local police after Biden highlighted the case.

Gerson Fuentes, 27, was arrested July 12 after confessing to police about raping the minor at least on two occasions. The girl had crossed state lines and made her way to Indiana to get an abortion after Ohio centers denied performing the "illegal" procedure in the face of Roe v. Wade's overturn.

Now, Fuentes - a Guatemala native who is living in the U.S. illegally - has entered not guilty pleas on both counts of rape. His attorney Bryan Bowen said even though the police said that Fuentes confessed to the crime, he will be examining police reports, body cam footage, and other documents to verify the legitimacy of his confession and see if they should challenge it.

"There are certainly rules governing when a statement to a police officer is admissible and when it is not. My immediate concern is Mr. Fuentes's lack of fluency in English and whether that may impact what he is supposed to have said or not said," Bowen was quoted as saying by ABC6.

Talking about the scrutiny the case has attracted, Bowen added, "I certainly do think it is a shame that this situation has turned into a political football that is being kicked around by a lot of people for their own benefit, rather than focusing on the facts of what may or may not have happened here."

Fuentes was identified by the girl as her rapist six days before he was put behind bars. He was indicted on two felony rape charges by a grand jury on July 21. Documents said Fuentes admitted carrying out the crime on two occasions, once between Jan. 1 and May 11 and again on May 12, reported NBC4. The girl was aged 9 when she endured these sexual assaults, the indictment said.