Woman reports she was raped at knifepoint, a Scranton man is arrested
Oct. 16—A Scranton man raped a woman at knifepoint Sunday morning a few feet from where her child slept, city police said.
Jose Cruz-Mendoza, 29, sought forgiveness during a recorded phone call with the victim and apologized he used a knife, according to a criminal complaint.
He did not go into specific details regarding what happened, but Sunday's call verified "something bad happened," and that a knife had been used to commit the crime, police said.
Detective Kyle Gilmartin sought to uncover how bad that something was.
The Times-Tribune does not identify victims of sexual assault.
The victim walked into the lobby of the Police Department's South Washington Avenue headquarters at 11:30 a.m. and reported she had been raped hours earlier.
A patrolman took down the basics of the reported crime: Who? (Cruz-Mendoza) Where? (South Side) When? (6 a.m.) How? (At knifepoint)
Gilmartin followed up. Aided by an interpreter, he interviewed the victim and learned Cruz-Mendoza had been drinking with the victim at her apartment. By 6 a.m., he was alone with her and her children, one of whom was asleep on the couch.
Suddenly, Cruz-Mendoza placed a large knife against her neck and ordered her to do what he wanted. If she refused, he would hurt her, according to her statement.
Cruz-Mendoza made her disrobe, then told her to have sexual intercourse with him.
She complied. She feared what might happen to her, and her nearby sleeping child, if she refused.
The assault lasted several minutes, she told police. If she tried to stop, Cruz-Mendoza picked up the knife and told her to continue.
It ended when she ran away from him and locked herself in a bathroom. Once there, she yelled at Cruz-Mendoza that he would have to kill her because she would not have sex with him any longer.
Realizing her unattended child's peril, she left the bathroom and caught sight of Cruz-Mendoza leaving in his car.
She started to pack for her and her children. She went to stay with a sister and resolved to never return to that apartment.
Later that afternoon, in the presence of police and prosecutors, she placed a recorded call to Cruz-Mendoza and asked him why he did what he did.
"Cruz-Mendoza repeatedly told her that he was sorry and regretted what he had done," Gilmartin wrote, summarizing that call. "Cruz-Mendoza, towards the end of the call, apologized for using the knife and stated that he took things too far and asked for forgiveness and apologized."
The police found Cruz-Mendoza at his home on South Irving Avenue. He answered a knock at his door and officers arrested him on charges including rape and sexual assault.
Cruz-Mendoza is lodged at the Lackawanna County Prison in lieu of $150,000 bail set by Magisterial District Judge Paul J. Ware.
A preliminary hearing is tentatively scheduled Oct. 25.
Contact the writer:
570-348-9100, x5187;
@jkohutTT on Twitter.
