Inmate charged in wildfire rape calls for trial
UPDATE 9/5/18: 1 p.m. An Idaho prison inmate charged with raping a woman while working at a wildfire base camp in Utah has invoked his right to a speedy trial.
Prosecutor Kevin Daniels said 27-year-old Ruben Hernandez made his first court appearance in Utah’s Sanpete County in a short hearing on Wednesday.
Daniels says he did not formally enter a plea, but the request to move quickly typically indicates a defendant disputes a charge. He is due in court for an evidence hearing next week.
A defense attorney newly appointed to the case did not immediately return a message seeking comment.
Hernandez was part of a program common in Western states where minimum-security prison inmates are released to help fight wildfires. He is accused of assaulting a base-camp worker Aug. 29 after she rejected his advances.
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Idaho is scrutinizing its program allowing prison inmates to help battle wildfires after one was charged with raping a woman working at a remote base camp in Utah.
Idaho Department of Correction spokesman Jeff Ray says they’ve returned five crews to prison as they review which inmates are allowed to serve, the training they receive and how they are deployed.
Meanwhile, inmate Ruben Hernandez is set to make his first court appearance Wednesday on a felony rape charge alleging he assaulted the woman after she rejected his advances.
He was part of a 10-person crew who cooked and did janitorial work. They were supervised by two Idaho correctional officers.
Most states in the U.S. West have similar programs allowing low-level offenders to be temporarily released to aid in firefighting efforts.
ORIGINAL:
Prosecutors say an Idaho prison inmate sent to help fight a wildfire raped a woman who was also working to support firefighters in Utah.
Sanpete County Attorney Kevin Daniels said Tuesday the woman had rejected several advances from 27-year-old Ruben Hernandez before the Aug. 29 assault. Hernandez was charged with felony rape.
Prison inmates are also released to fight wildfires in other Western states like California.
Daniels says county authorities weren’t aware inmates were working the fire about 60 miles south of Salt Lake City, but they are typically low-level offenders nearing parole dates who do work like cooking and cleaning.
According to the Idaho Department of Corrections, Hernandez is serving a prison sentence in Idaho for delivery of a controlled substance. Idaho prison records show Hernandez would have been eligible for parole on a drug charge in less than a year, and his prison term is set to end in 2023.
No attorney was immediately listed for him.
