Female Army soldier kidnapped, abused by former boyfriend at hotel A judge's gavel. (Dreamstime/TNS)
A woman testified Tuesday afternoon about a night when she was held captive and abused at a Manhattan hotel by her former boyfriend, who didn’t show up for the start of his jury trial.
Isain Lopez, 24, Joliet, Illinois, is accused of two counts of aggravated kidnapping, two counts of aggravated battery, two counts of criminal threat, aggravated rape, aggravated robbery, aggravated domestic battery and robbery.
Neither Lopez nor his lawyer appeared in Riley County District Court Tuesday, but Judge Kendra Lewison said Lopez would be tried in absentia, and the trial would proceed as planned.
The woman was identified in court, but The Mercury does not name victims of sexual assault.
On the evening of Aug. 20, 2020, and early morning of Aug. 21, 2020, Lopez allegedly strangled, hit and attempted to rape his former girlfriend at the Four Points by Sheraton hotel, 530 Richards Drive.
The woman said she had previously been in a relationship with Lopez and joined the military to get away from Lopez.
Lopez, who lived in Joliet, Illinois, at the time of the incident, told the woman he was taking a trip to Manhattan. When the woman got off work at Fort Riley, she said Lopez asked to meet up at the Four Points. She said she was hesitant to meet with him, but she did.
The woman said she met Lopez in the hotel parking lot, then they drove to get dinner at Panda Express. While driving back, she said Lopez saw a notification on her phone and accused her of cheating. The woman said he pulled over on Delaware Avenue and took her phone, car keys and debit card, then verbally abused her as he drove them back to the hotel. The woman said he said, “I owed him for everything he had done for me.”
The woman testified she and Lopez argued for around an hour in the parking lot about getting her belongings back.
After attempting to leave, the woman said Lopez chased after her, claiming he would give her stuff back if she went up to his hotel room. She said she also was afraid he would act on his threats of “shooting up” her family’s house in Illinois.
After getting to the room, the woman said Lopez slapped her in the face after she refused to unlock her phone and followed up with a punch that knocked her to the ground. She said he kept hitting her and demanding to get her phone, and she tried to protect herself by curling up on the ground.
During the night, the woman said Lopez took her shirt off and tried to unbutton and unzip her pants. She said he told her that she needed to sex with him “like the slut (you are) cause that’s what sluts do.” The woman said she kept him away by kicking.
As the night progressed, the woman testified that Lopez strangled her with both hands and she couldn’t breathe. She said she couldn’t yell because he covered her mouth with his hand, and she lost consciousness at some points.
At one point, the woman said she and Lopez were going to the ATM, so she could give him money. She said she saw that as an opportunity to escape. The woman said she ran out of the hotel to a truck she thought was occupied for help as Lopez put on his shoes. She said Lopez caught up with her, put his hand over her mouth and dragged her back to the room to continue hitting her.
She testified that later he heated water in a coffee pot and attempted to pour it on her, but she kicked it away with only a little getting on her foot. She said her body was shaking uncontrollably as the beating continued.
Eventually, she said she gave him the phone passcode. The woman’s friend at the time, now her husband, testified that he had gotten text messages sent from the woman’s phone, but the messages were not sent from her. He said he received messages around 1:30 a.m. from Lopez claiming the woman was “playing” both of them and that “she was his b*—*h now.” Later that morning, around 5:45 a.m., he said the woman texted him apologizing for the messages sent by Lopez.
She said Lopez stopped hitting her around 4 a.m., got her ice to put on her face and apologized before driving her back to Fort Riley.
The woman said she called Hana Redmon, her friend and co-worker, to get her at the Fort Riley gate, but she never did because Lopez drove away from the base and took her back to the hotel in Manhattan.
Redmon testified via Zoom that she received a call from the woman to get her at the Fort Riley gate, but then the woman called as Redmon and her wife were leaving the house and said she no longer needed a ride. Redmon said she was surprised to get a call from the woman at such a late hour.
The woman said Lopez gave her belongings back, and she drove herself back to Fort Riley and went to work around 7 a.m.
Later in the day, the woman said she went to Manhattan to get a COVID-19 test. On her way back to Fort Riley around 11 a.m., she said she stopped for gas at the Shop Quik on 529 Richards Drive, next to the Four Points Hotel. She said Lopez saw her, came over to argue and took her keys. She said she went inside, and her car was gone when she came back out. After finding her car and seeing Lopez come out of it, she said Lopez kept her keys, got into his Jeep and left Manhattan.
Milton Roberts, employee at Shop Quik, testified about video footage at the store and handing it over to police.
Redmon said the woman called her around 11 a.m. from the Shop Quik asking for a ride. Redmon said the woman told her Lopez had “trapped her down at a gas station.” Redmon said she could not get her because of work, but her wife, Casey Ogle, did.
Ogle also testified via Zoom. After taking the woman back to the barracks to change, Ogle said she saw the bruises covering her body; she said she didn’t notice previously because the woman was in full uniform and had on a mask when she was picked up. Ogle said the two then went to Kansas City to get Redmon’s mother’s medicine. During the drive, Ogle said the woman shared details about what had happened the night before. Ogle said she had to convince the woman to go to the hospital once they got back to Fort Riley. The woman went to the hospital on the night of Aug. 21. On Aug. 25, the woman told police about the incident.
The woman said she didn’t immediately go to the hospital or call the police because Lopez is in a gang, and she feared for her family’s safety. The woman also testified this incident was not the first incident of physical abuse.
Andrew Bloom, the doctor who eventually examined her, said in court that there was bruising on her arms and legs on the left side of her face. Bloom said she had multiple CT scans done and they all came back negative.
Capt. Keeli Buehler, who supervises Redmon and the woman at Fort Riley, was informed about the incidents. Buehler testified that she wanted the woman to contact her daily with updates on her condition. She reported the woman was scared to go to the police because of the threats made to her family. Buehler said she met the woman at the Riley County Police Department when she reported the incident.
The trial was scheduled to continue Wednesday.
___
(c) 2022 The Manhattan Mercury
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
