Orem woman assaulted by stranger in her bed, police say


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OREM — A woman awoke Sunday morning to find an intruder in her bed sexually assaulting her, police say. The man was arrested but investigators believe there may be more victims.

The assault happened at around 5 a.m. The woman told police she thought it was her husband in the bed, but he had apparently fallen asleep in another room while watching TV.

When she turned on the light and saw the intruder, she screamed and woke her husband.

“Husband runs into the bedroom, sees this guy in his room, they get into a fight involving not only the husband, but the wife,” said Orem Police Lt. Craig Martinez.

As the man left the apartment, near 1100 South and 200 East, the couple said he threatened to shoot them. They immediately called police.

Officers arrested Armando Ramos-Hernandez at his apartment just down the street from the couple’s home and he denied being involved, Martinez said.

“We saw that he had some marks on him consistent to the fight that he had been in, as well as the victims identifying him," the lieutenant said. "So it is obvious to us he was the one in the apartment (Sunday) morning."

During the investigation, police learned the suspect may have attempted this before.

“What concerns us the most is that we believe this may have happened to other people. We may have other people out there who have not yet come forward," Martinez said.

Investigators believe that reluctance may involve fear about their immigration status.

“I know this particular neighborhood has a lot of people from Guatemala, and they may suspect if they come in and report being victims of a crime that their resident status might be looked at," Martinez said. "But right now, we are just concerned about finding out if this guy has victimized anyone before.”

Monday morning, a judge set bail for Hernandez at $100,000. He remains in the Utah County Jail as prosecutors review the case. Formal charges are expected to be filed next week.

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