MEDICINE HAT POLICE SERVICE HANDOUT
On Saturday at about 2:30 a.m., Claudio Tovar Aguilar was arrested after allegedly forcing a woman into his car in an effort to sexually assault her.
jappel@medicinehatnews.com@MHNJeremyAppel
Cops have arrested a 53-year-old male who allegedly attempted to commit a sexual assault at the Saamis Teepee parking lot in the early hours of Saturday morning.
According to police, the accused was seen forcibly grabbing a woman into his car around 2:30 a.m. and arrested promptly by officers on scene.
The victim was transported to the hospital as a precautionary measure to be assessed for possible injuries.
Claudio Tovar Aguilar faces charges of attempted sexual assault, administering an overpowering drug to commit an offence, unlawful confinement and possession of a controlled substance.
Staff Sgt. Chad Holt told the News the additional charges came after officers, who happened to have been at the scene, “interjected to see what was going on, because it looked like the woman was struggling and not wanting to be there.”
After searching Aguilar’s car, they found what appears to be GHB, a notorious “date-rape drug,” he added.
Holt said administering an overpowering drug is a charge that’s infrequently laid.
“The hardest thing with those cases is that because of the side effects of the drugs, the victims have difficulty recalling it,” Holt said.
“The story sometimes doesn’t make sense or they have difficulty recalling details, so it makes it difficult to prosecute or get the facts straight. It’s not that they’re being unco-operative or don’t want to file a complaint. It’s that they’re not able to. It seems to be a byproduct of that consumption of the drug.”
Aguilar has been released on $4,000 no-cash recognizance and is scheduled to appear next in court Jan. 15.
The Major Crimes Unit’s investigation is ongoing.
“There’s more interviews that have to be completed, there’s drugs that have to be sent away for analysis. Often in a case like this, there’s digital evidence – things like cellphones – that still have to be examined as well,” said Holt. “They can produce additional evidence and sometimes they don’t, but there’s still some more steps to take.”
Anyone with further information on the incident is urged to call the Medicine Hat Police Service at 403-529-8481, Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS, or submit a tip through the MHPS app.
