BOZEMAN — A man is accused of rape and kidnapping after he was found in his truck with a woman at Bozeman Beach early Sunday morning, Jan. 26, 2025.
The man is currently being held without bond on an immigration detainer—more commonly known as an ICE hold—at the Gallatin County Detention Center.
Court documents say a Bozeman Police officer on patrol spotted a pickup truck parked at Bozeman Beach (800 Manley Road) during the restricted hours of 11 p.m. – 5 a.m.
The officer allegedly encountered the man in the truck attempting to climb into the driver seat with his pants down. The officer was unable to communicate with the man due to a “severe language barrier,” according to court documents.
The officer said he then saw a woman laying across the back seat of the truck and asked her to roll down the window. Court documents say the woman appeared “confused and dazed like she was in a trance” and smelled strongly of an alcoholic beverage.
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The woman reportedly indicated she did not want to be there and whispered “I don’t feel safe” to the officer. Court documents say the officer communicated with the man via a translator and read him his Miranda rights.
The man was taken to the Bozeman Public Safety Center for further investigation and interviewed by a Spanish-speaking Belgrade Police sergeant. He allegedly admitted to sexual contact and sexual intercourse with the woman but denied it became non-consensual at any point.
The woman told law enforcement she met the man at a downtown Bozeman bar while celebrating her birthday with her sister. She said the man spoke "limited" English and she communicated with him via a translation app. She reportedly invited the man back to her sister’s house as they were leaving the bar and left with him in his truck.
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According to court documents, after they drove off, the woman noticed the man was not traveling in the direction of her sister’s house. The man reportedly said he was “going the back way” and took her instead to Bozeman Beach.
The woman said she and the man started kissing and having sexual contact. Court documents say she consented at first but asked him to stop when he became too aggressive. The woman reportedly told the man to stop multiple times after he began to have intercourse with her and said she attempted to physically push him off of her.
The man was placed under arrest on charges of kidnapping and sexual intercourse without consent.
