Man accused of lewd conduct and sexual abuse of a minor in Jefferson County
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MONTEVIEW — A Jefferson County man has been charged with sexually abusing a child multiple times.
Jose Oliver Mendoza-Colindres, 43, has been charged with one count of sexual abuse of a minor under the age of 16 and two counts of lewd conduct with a minor under the age of 16.
On July 14, deputies from the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office attended a forensic interview at the Bright Tomorrows Child Advocacy Center. During the interview, court documents state the victim told deputies about several instances of abuse that occurred when the victim was between the ages of 3 and 8.
According to reports, the victim alleged that whenever she visited Mendoza-Colindres’ home, he would touch her inappropriately and/or remove her clothing. Mendoza-Colindres would tell the victim, “I’m showing you my love,” according to court documents.
The victim told deputies of multiple occasions of assault that had occurred at Mendoza-Colindres’ home and other locations over several years, approximately once or twice a month.
One incident in particular is alleged to have taken place in 2020, when the victim and her family brought a camper trailer to Mendoza-Colindres’ home for a party. Mendoza-Colindres reportedly assaulted the victim in the camper and was caught by the victim’s father. The victim’s mother allegedly followed Mendoza-Colindres back into his home and attacked him.
Court documents state the victim’s parents did not report the incident because they were unsure if the victim would remember the incident at her age and did not want to traumatize her. In addition, documents state the victim’s parents were concerned about the victim’s father’s immigration status.
Once the parents had learned the full extent of the crimes, they reported the crime to the Bannock County Sheriff’s Office, as they resided in Bannock County.
The information disclosed in the forensic interview and interviews with the victim’s parents resulted in the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office filing an arrest warrant for Mendoza-Colindres.
If found guilty, Mendoza-Colindres faces up to life in prison and may be required to pay fines of up to $150,000.
Mendoza-Colindres has not yet been appointed a public defender. He is set to appear in court on Aug. 6 for a preliminary hearing.
Although Mendoza-Colindres has been accused of a crime, that does not necessarily mean he committed it. Everyone is presumed innocent until proven guilty.