Longmont police focused on Juan Jose Figueroa Jr. as a suspect in the disappearance of Rita Gutierrez-Garcia within days of opening their investigation, a prosecutor revealed in court Wednesday.
It was also revealed that Figueroa was in Mexico crossing the border back into the United States when he was arrested on charges stemming from a 2017 sexual assault in Longmont.
The victim in the sexual assault case attended Wednesday’s bond hearing, along with a number of Longmont police officers. Figueroa is accused of strangling and raping a woman in November 2017. He was charged with first-degree assault and five separate counts of sexual assault.
At the hearing, Boulder District Judge Judy LaBuda upheld Figueroa’s $1 million cash bond, saying he is a flight risk and poses a safety risk to the community.
That case is scheduled to go to a jury trial in December.
Read the full story at .
