Hobbsan accused of more sex crimes
A Hobbs man was arrested Wednesday on additional charges after two women reported he had sexually abused them when they were younger. He’s now facing multiple felonies stemming from allegations made by three victims.
Rodolfo “Rudy” Garcia, 41, was charged with criminal sexual penetration, a first-degree felony; and two counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor, a second-degree felony. He was booked at the Hobbs City Jail.
Hobbs police previously arrested Garcia on Feb. 17 and charged him with criminal sexual penetration, a first-degree felony; two counts of criminal sexual penetration, a second-degree felony; criminal sexual contact of a minor, a second-degree felony; and criminal sexual contact of a minor, a third-degree felony. A teenaged girl who lives in Texas alleged Garcia, a relative, had sexually assaulted her on different occasions, while she’d been visiting family in Hobbs.
On Wednesday, Hobbs police received two reports that Garcia had touched or assaulted two female family members when they were younger. One report was made by a victim’s mother, who said her 21-year-old daughter, disclosed to her that Garcia touched her sexually on “several occasions as a child” while she slept, according to a criminal complaint. The victim’s mother said her daughter was around 11 or 12 when this happened. The complaint states Hobbs police spoke with the victim via phone, since she now lives in Texas, and she described incidents involving Garcia.
Hobbs police received the other report from a 22-year-old woman, who alleged Garcia molested her as a child. The victim described an incident where Garcia touched her and sexually assaulted her when she was about six or seven years old.
“(Victim) said after Rudy had inappropriately touched her, he constantly threatened her,” a separate complaint states.
The victim said she later told her former step-father, who took her to confront Garcia, but Garcia “called her a liar and denied inappropriately touching her.” She also told police that her mother wanted to pursue charges, but she had begged her not to. Hobbs police interviewed the victim’s mother and former step-father.
“Both of their statements matched what (victim) had disclosed to me,” a Hobbs detective wrote.
New Mexico court records reflect Garcia is scheduled to appear March 7 in Hobbs Magistrate Court on Wednesday’s charges. He’s also set for a March 1 magistrate court hearing on the charges from his Feb. 17 arrest.