Teen says she was held captive, raped for 11 days in Hammond backyard shedCROWN POINT | A 20-year-old Hammond man is facing multiple charges in connection to an incident where the victim alleges to have been sexually assaulted for 11 days while confined in a backyard shed.
Lake prosecutors on Friday charged the victim's then-boyfriend, Francisco Gamez IV, with rape, criminal deviate conduct, three counts of criminal confinement, sexual battery and strangulation.
Court documents state the victim, 17, told police Gamez held her and her 16-month-old daughter for 11 days, beginning Sept. 16, in a shed behind a relative's residence in the 7100 block of Southeastern Avenue.
The shed was drywalled, had tile floors and electricity, according to court records. It was equipped with an air mattress, television and electronic games.
Gamez is accused of sexually assaulting the girl daily until Sept. 27, when the couple took the girl's baby to the main house to be fed. The girl told police she and the baby left the house after Gamez went to work and a relative of Gamez was in the shower.
The girl then walked the area until finding a fast-food restaurant, where she used a stranger's cell phone to call for help, court records state.
"I commend Sgt. Christopher Matonovich and Sgt. Mark Biller of the special crime victims unit for their thorough investigation of the incident," Hammond Police Chief Brian Miller said Friday.