Man accused of raping 11-year-old arrested after leaving pregnant victim at ER, sheriff’s office says

ASCENSION PARISH, La. (NEXSTAR) – Louisiana deputies arrested a man accused of raping and impregnating an 11-year-old child after he dropped her off at the hospital Sunday.

Wendell Sanchez, 34, of Gonzales, faces a slew of charges including first-degree rape of a child under the age of 13 after taking the girl, who had abdominal pains, to a local emergency room.

Deputies responded to the hospital around 7 p.m. for a possible molestation of a juvenile, according to the Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office, and learned that the girl was pregnant and Sanchez was believed to be the father.

Sanchez, who stayed in the car while the girl sought treatment, drove away when deputies arrived, according to the sheriff’s office.

Ascension Parish deputies and Gonzales police said they later found Sanchez hiding “in a patio area of a residence” with “a quantity of drugs and drug paraphernalia on his person.”

He was arrested and charged with first-degree rape of a victim under the age of 13, resisting an officer, possession of a controlled dangerous substance, drug paraphernalia, criminal trespass, simple criminal damage to property, possession of marijuana, illegal use of a controlled dangerous substance in the presence of person under 17, creation of a clandestine lab, no drivers license, and no tail lamps.

He was booked into the Ascension Parish Jail where his bond was set at $540,000.