A man traveling on business raped and choked a woman in his Twin Cities hotel room to the point she feared for her life, according to charges.
Jimmy J. Hortiz, of The Dalles, Ore., was charged last week in Hennepin County District Court with first-degree criminal sexual conduct and third-degree assault in connection with the attack in the early hours of Nov. 30 in the Double Tree Hotel in Bloomington.
Hortiz, 42, remains jailed in lieu of $300,000 bail ahead of a Jan. 3 court hearing. A message was left Monday with his attorney seeking a response to the allegations.
The woman, 27, told police soon after the incident that Hortiz was a stranger, and that she did not consent to sex with him, the charges said.
The woman, who lives just north of the Twin Cities and asked that she be identified only by her first name, Kelsey, said that Hortiz "was trying to kill me. I became unconscious four times. … All I wanted to do was get on the other side of the hotel [room] door."
She said Hortiz kept threatening to kill her; she believes he should also be charged with attempted murder.
To this day, Kelsey said, "I've been racking my brain trying to figure out what set him off."
The charges did not reveal Hortiz's employer. Kelsey said Monday that authorities told her he worked for Cardinal Glass, which is headquartered in Eden Prairie, as an installer and was in town for a convention. Cardinal Glass in Hood River, Ore., said it was disturbed by the allegations. The company said it had fired Hortiz and is willing to assist in any investigation.
According to the criminal complaint:
Kelsey told police she was among a group drinking in the bar and became intoxicated. She next remembered being in a hotel room with Hortiz.
She said he undressed her, became "extremely angry" and started choking her. He also punched Kelsey, grabbed her by the hair and shoved her head into a dresser. After escaping the room, Kelsey ran down a hall and had a panic attack in the lobby.
A hospital exam revealed a black eye, bruised hands and choke marks on her neck. She also had other injuries consistent with sexual assault.
Kelsey had on clothing that was not hers: a large men's T-shirt and mismatched socks. She did not know where her clothes were. She said she later learned she was wearing her attacker's clothing.
Police got Hortiz's name from the front desk and interviewed him. He denied having anyone in his room.
A police search of the room turned up physical evidence, including part of a broken fingernail that came from Kelsey.
Police also retrieved Kelsey's clothing from the drop ceiling. They found her bra, which was torn, and mismatched socks similar to what she was wearing at the hospital.
Upon arrest, Hortiz admitted the woman was in his room but denied any sexual contact. He said he hid her clothes and initially lied about her being in his room out of fear of getting in trouble at work.
Hortiz's criminal history includes violation of a domestic violence no-contact order in Washington state in 2016. He also pleaded guilty in 2014 to drunken driving in Missouri and was sentenced to probation.
Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482
