LAS CRUCES, NM – Police are asking for the public’s help locating the suspect believed to be responsible for a violent kidnapping and sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl.
Jorge Luis Claro Quezada, 45, of the 600 block of King James Avenue, just north of Las Cruces, is charged with one second-degree felony count of kidnapping, three second-degree felony counts of criminal sexual penetration of a child and two fourth-degree felony counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor.
Las Cruces police investigators learned the incident occurred about 12:40 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 27, on the 5700 block of Mesa Grande Boulevard.
Investigators learned a 14-year-old Organ Mountain High School student went to the McDonald’s restaurant on Mesa Grande for a drink. The girl told police that, when she was leaving the restaurant, a man offered her a ride back to campus. The girl said she initially declined the offer but accepted the ride when he asked a second time.
Shortly after getting into the red Ford Explorer with the man, later identified as Quezada, he allegedly held the girl against her will. Investigators believe Quezada then sexually assaulted the girl inside the vehicle, in the parking lot. The girl told investigators that, after about an hour, Quezada let her leave the vehicle. The girl walked back to campus where she alerted school officials.
Las Cruces police later located the red Ford Explorer in a parking lot on the 3500 block of Foothills Road. Quezada’s whereabouts are unknown and police do not know if he has access to another vehicle.
Investigators have obtained a warrant for Quezada’s arrest on the above charges. Quezada is 5-feet-5-inches tall and weighs approximately 180 pounds. He has brown hair and brown eyes.
Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Jorge Luis Claro Quezada is asked to immediately call Las Cruces police at (575) 526-0795.
