Man charged with raping teen at Iron Range motel
The defendant was also found in possession of more than 23 grams of methamphetamine, court documents say.
VIRGINIA — A man is accused of raping a teenager at a motel after finding her intoxicated on the street.
William Toribio Ramirez, 26, of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, was arraigned last week on two counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct in the Sept.
9 incident in Virginia. He is also charged with first-degree possession of methamphetamine.
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The victim, 17, told police she had been drinking alcohol since getting out of school that day and was walking when she was approached by Ramirez in a pickup truck after 9 p.m.
William Toribio Ramirez.jpg
William Toribio Ramirez
She initially declined a ride but then agreed because she wanted to get home. She indicated she was “sloppy drunk” and told Ramirez she was 17 in response to his question.
Ramirez then told her he needed to pick something up from the Lakeshor Motor Inn, 404 N. Sixth Ave. W. When they got there, another man exited a room and the girl reluctantly accepted Ramirez’s invitation to go inside.
The victim said Ramirez then began to sexually assault her, forcibly pinning her down on a bed and ignoring her multiple pleas for him to stop and attempts to push him away. He also gave her cocaine, indicating it would “hurt less” if she snorted the drug.
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When the assault was over, she said Ramirez dropped her off at her friend’s house, stating that his name was “Jose” and that he wanted to see her again. He said he’d be in town a few more days and would be back in a month.
The girl told her friend’s mother, and the Virginia Police Department was called at approximately 10:45 p.m.
Police executed a search warrant at the motel, finding evidence consistent with the account given by the teen. Also seized was 23.22 grams of meth.
The other man in the room also stated that he had seen “the girl” in the parking lot and confirmed that Ramirez had asked him to leave the room for a while.
Police additionally learned that a Minnesota State Patrol trooper had seen Ramirez stop in front of the victim’s friend’s house. The trooper had noticed the truck driving fast and with a loud exhaust and ended up stopping him and issuing a citation on his way back to the motel.
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Surveillance video from the Circle K station, 303 N. Sixth Ave. W., also showed Ramirez and the girl briefly talking in the store around 9:20 p.m. They reportedly checked out and exited the store separately, but the teen could then be seen getting in the truck.
Ramirez was arraigned last Friday in State District Court. He was freed Sunday after posting a $150,000 bond.
Court records show Ramirez pleaded guilty in North Carolina in 2017 to two counts of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill or inflict serious injury and one count of discharging a deadly weapon into occupied property.
The Winston-Salem Journal reported the incident was related to a gang shootout that injured two men on Interstate 40. Then 18, Ramirez was accused of driving a car that helped two shooters flee the scene. He was later sentenced to five-to-seven years in prison.
To get help
If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, call 911.
National Sexual Assault Hotline:24/7 hotline: 800-656-4673
Center Against Sexual and Domestic Abuse (CASDA):serves Duluth, Superior and Ashland, Bayfield and Douglas counties; 24/7 hotline 800-649-2921; submit a help request at casda.org/get-help
Program for Aid to Victims of Sexual Assault (PAVSA):serves southern St. Louis County; 24/7 hotline 218-726-1931
Sexual Assault Program of Northern St. Louis County:serves northern St. Louis County; 218-749-4725; leave a message and an advocate will be contacted 24/7
Family Pathways:serves Carlton and Pine counties; 24/7 hotline 800-338-7233
Support Within Reach:serves Aitkin and Itasca counties; hotline 866-747-5008
North Shore Horizons:serves Lake County; 24/7 hotline 218-834-5924
Violence Prevention Center:serves Cook County; 24/7 hotline 218-387-1237
Friends Against Abuse:serves Koochiching County; 24/7 hotline 888-344-3264
Fond du Lac Reservation:24/7 hotline 218-348-1817
Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa:Grand Portage Human Services 218-475-2453
Bois Forte Tribal Government–Victim Services Program:emergency cell 218-248-0067
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Tom Olsen
By Tom Olsen
Tom Olsen covers crime and courts and the 8th Congressional District for the Duluth News Tribune since 2013. He is a graduate of the University of Minnesota Duluth and a lifelong resident of the city. Readers can contact Olsen at 218-723-5333 or tolsen@duluthnews.com.
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