One of three men charged with several felonies, including kidnapping last year, waived his preliminary hearing on February 13, and his case was bound over to circuit court.
The men are accused of holding two females against their will, raping and assaulting them and demanding ransom money.
According to a probable-cause statement, members of multiple law-enforcement agencies arrived at the scene of the reported kidnapping at the Super 8 Motel in Higginsville and arrested the three men- Jaciel Acdala Mendez-Morales, Alain Gaspar Camarillo-Linan and Luis Angel Sierra-Vallina- on April 26.
Court documents say Mendez-Morales has been charged with two counts of a Class A Felony for Kidnapping in the First Degree; and two counts of Unclassified Felonies for Rape or Attempted Rape in the First Degree and Sodomy or Attempted Sodomy in the First Degree. Cash-only bond remains at $500,000.
Mendez-Morales is scheduled to be arraigned at 9 a.m. on Monday, March 18, at Lafayette County Circuit Court.
Each of the three men pleaded not guilty to the charges during court proceedings in April.