DNA reportedly links man to 2010 gang rape

Accused is currently held without bond for unrelated alleged rape

After investigators reportedly connected his DNA to evidence collected from a 2010 gang rape, a La Plata man, currently being held without bond for an unrelated alleged rape against a minor, was charged with first-degree rape on Wednesday.

Jaime Antonio Rivera, 26, who was arrested in June for the alleged rape of an 11-year-old girl, now faces an additional rape charge for the 2010 incident, court records indicate. He is accused of being one of four men who reportedly took

turns raping a woman before she was able to escape from the house in Waldorf.

On March 16, 2010, deputies with the Charles County Sheriff’s Office responded to the 12700 block of Country Lane for a report of unknown trouble. Upon arrival, an officer found the woman at a house adjacent to the one where she said she was allegedly raped, court records indicate.

The victim told detectives that she had been at a bar in Northern Virginia, and since she didn’t have a ride home, she accepted a ride from a man she had met that night, charging documents state. There were several men in the car and she became fearful for her safety after she noticed they we not taking her in the right direction, and overheard them talking about having sex with her.

Around 2 a.m., she said they arrived at the house on Country Lane and she was led into a basement, where several more Hispanic men waited, many wearing red shirts and drinking alcohol, police records indicate. One man, who called himself the “leader” of their group, threatened to kill her if she did not remove her clothing and have sex with him and the others. She told detectives that while he raped her, she was surrounded by the other men who appeared to be flashing “gang signs.” She was then raped many times afterwards by several different men.

Eventually, she was able to escape out of the front door while the men were distracted, court records state. She ran to a nearby house and hid until a vehicle parked in the driveway as the men came outside looking for her, saying “… don’t call the police, if you call, I will kill you.” After waiting until she felt it was safe, she crawled out from underneath the vehicle and knocked on the front door of the house and called police.

Officers arrived and arrested several suspects and identified witnesses, though many left the residence before their arrival and were never identified, court records state. However about six years later, after Rivera had been arrested for allegedly raping an 11-year-old girl, his DNA was collected and processed by the Maryland State Police forensic lab. On Aug. 5, investigators determined that his DNA matched DNA recovered from the victim’s sexual assault nurse examination in 2010.

Already held without bail for reportedly raping a minor, Rivera remains in custody during adjudication of both cases.

When Rivera was arrested on June 11, he reportedly told a detective that he was not a U.S. citizen.

The day before, the girl went to the guidance counselor at her middle school and reported the alleged rape, prompting a Child Protective Services and Charles County Sheriff’s Office investigation, charging documents indicate. She allegedly told investigators that Rivera was drunk and demanded to have sex with her, drawing a 6-inch knife and telling her that he would hurt her if she did not do what he wanted.

Currently, Rivera is scheduled to stand trial on Jan. 23 for the 2016 incident, per court records. For the 2010 case, he is set to appear for a preliminary hearing on Nov. 4.