Sioux Falls roommates charged with raping 13-year-old girl, court documents show
Two Sioux Falls roommates are each facing a count of fourth-degree rape charges, following the sexual assault of an underage girl, according to arrest affidavits filed in a Minnehaha County court.
Isaiah Joseph Hines, 20, and Austin Lovern Lambertz, 20, are both charged in the case tied an incident in September, when a 13-year old victim reported a sexual assault occured at an apartment complex in the 400 block of South Hein Avenue in Sioux Falls.
Sioux Falls Police Department detectives were able to identify the roommates through surveillance video around the time of the incident and Snapchat messages, the court documents state. And through a completed sexual assault kit, detectives were able to match the DNA profile to Hines, according to court documents. At the time of the incident, court documents say the victim was 13 while Hines was 19.
The affidavits state on the night of the incident, the victim was allegedly restrained by Hines using zip ties and raped, while the victim was under the influence of marijuana. Surveillance shows Lambertz leaving the apartment and a few minutes later, Hines and the victim exiting the apartment and leaving together, the affidavits read.
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During the investigation, the detectives learned the victim had previous sexual contact with the defendants in 2022. When police interviewed Lambertz initially, he admitted to the two having sex with the victim, but denied knowing the true age of the victim, saying the victim told him she was 18, the court records show.he told police he received an anonymous phone call later telling him the victim was 16 or 17, then said he called the victim, who said she was 17, the records state.
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After the interview with law enforcement, Lambertz called detectives in January, retracting his statements and denying sexual contact with the victim, according to court documents.
Documents say Hines didn’t talk with investigators and chose to seek legal counsel.
As of Wednesday, Lambertz was being held with a $100,000 bond. Hines was being held without bond, facing additional charges including resisting arrest, being a fugitive from justice and a parole hold for child pornography, county jail records show.
This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Sioux Falls roommates charged with raping 13-year-old, documents show
