NEWS

$500K bond for Galion rape suspect

Todd Hill
Reporter

BUCYRUS – A man who until earlier this week had been working at a Galion restaurant as a dishwasher has been charged with rape stemming from an alleged Monday incident.

On Thursday, bond for Maximino Hernandez was set at $500,000 by Crawford County Municipal Court Judge Shane Leuthold, who followed the recommendation of county prosecutor Matthew Crall, although Hernandez’s court-appointed attorney, Steven Callejas of Bowling Green, requested a personal recognizance bond for his client.

Hernandez is charged with one count of rape, a first-degree felony punishable by a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine.

“Despite not having a criminal record, it does appear he’s in the country on a visa, according to the Galion Police Department,” Crall said during Hernandez’s initial court appearance Thursday.

“I don’t believe my client is a flight risk,” Callejas told Leuthold. “He has ties to the community, he works, has a family, and has no criminal record that he’s made me aware of.”

Callejas said Hernandez has been working as a dishwasher at El Tarasco, a Mexican restaurant in Galion, for 10 months. Hernandez’s wife and child were present in the courtroom for his appearance, as was an interpreter.

Leuthold noted Hernandez has been identified as the person who allegedly committed the crime, and added that “I don’t believe 10 months represents a significant tie to the community. He’s a flight risk because he’s not a citizen.”

The judge then set bond for Hernandez at $500,000 “in the interest of protecting the community at large,” but he told Callejas he would revisit the issue of bond at Hernandez’s preliminary hearing, which must occur within 10 days in the event the defendant is unable to post bond.

thill3@nncogannett.com

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Twitter: @ToddHillMNJ