Fond du Lac man charged with sexual assault of minor pleads not guilty

• Juan Carlos Rocha Mejia was charged with child sexual assault, child enticement, false imprisonment, and strangulation and suffocation.
• The defendant pleads not guilty.
• Charges are also being filed against the victim’s mother.

(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)

Juan Carlos Rocha Mejia, charged with allegedly sexually abusing his girlfriend’s 12-year-old daughter, appeared in Fond du Lac District Court on Thursday. He waived his preliminary hearing and pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Rocha Mejia is charged with four crimes: first-degree sexual assault of children, enticement of children, false imprisonment, and strangulation and suffocation. Investigators say in May he paid his girlfriend to leave their daughter alone with him in Oakfield, where the alleged assault took place.

After the incident, the young girl ran to a neighbor for help, who then called the police. The girl’s mother also faces charges in connection with the case, but her identity is being kept secret to protect the child.

The mother’s next court date is scheduled for October 28, while Rocha Mejia’s next hearing has not yet been scheduled.