UPDATE: Pleads “not guilty” to child sexual assault in Fond du Lac County

FOND DU LAC – A Fond du Lac man accused of sexually abusing and trafficking his girlfriend’s 12-year-old daughter has pleaded not guilty in court.

Juan Carlos Rocha Mejia, 31, appeared in a Fond du Lac courtroom Thursday and pleaded to four felony counts: first-degree child sexual abuse – contact with a child under 16, child enticement, false imprisonment and strangulation and suffocation.

The charges stem from an incident in May when Rocha Mejia’s girlfriend, 34-year-old Elia Antonio, sold her daughter to Rocha Mejia, who abused the child. She fled to a neighbor, who then called the police.

No further court information is yet available for Rocha Mejia.

Elia Antonio, the mother of the trafficked child, is due back in court on October 28th.

OAKFIELD May 29, 2024 – A Fond du Lac County mother has been accused of trying to sell her 12-year-old daughter to the mother’s boyfriend earlier this month.

A criminal complaint filed Wednesday alleges Elia Antonio drove her daughter from her North Fond du Lac home to the home of 18-year-old Juan Carlos Rocha-Mejia on May 18. There, Rocha-Mejia took over the van and drove to a location on Breakneck Road, where he attempted to blindfold the victim and tape her hand to the seat of the van before sexually assaulting her.

After fighting her way out of the van, the victim ran to a nearby home and got help.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Girl escapes attempted assault in Fond du Lac County

Speaking to investigators, Antonio said Rocha-Mejia told her that he “buys people with money,” that he has “cops working for him” and that he shouldn’t talk to police because “he’s in control about everything.” The complaint notes that at no time during the May 18 incident did Antonio call 9-1-1.

A search of the van uncovered $272 in U.S. dollars.

The victim told investigators that another incident involving Rocha-Mejia occurred in December 2023. According to the complaint, the victim told Rocha-Mejia about an upcoming field trip that he offered to pay for, but then asked “what he would get in return.” before touching her thigh.

“Unfortunately, human trafficking occurs all over the world, including in Fond du Lac County,” he said Fond du Lac District Attorney Eric Toney. “We will always stand with law enforcement to protect our community from monsters that prey on children and ensure they are held accountable in the justice system.”

Both Antonio and Mejia are in the United States illegally, and ICE has ordered prison time for both of them.

Antonio is charged with aggravated child trafficking, failure to protect a child and two misdemeanor counts of bail jumping. Rocha-Mejia is charged with first-degree sexual assault, child enticement, false imprisonment and strangulation and suffocation.

Antonio and Rocha-Mejia are being held on $1 million cash bail and face a total of 161 years in prison if convicted on all counts. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for June 7.

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