A 17-year-old girl fled into a Chipotle for help after allegedly being tied up and raped by two men she met on a dating app. Cops say they drove six hours to meet her
A terrified teen girl ran into a Chipotle begging for help after allegedly being tied up and raped by two men she met on a dating app.
Cops claim the alleged attackers drove six hours to pick her up before dumping her in the desert. The 17-year-old, from New Mexico, US, had first told the men she was 18 and trying to escape an abusive situation, investigators said.
The suspects; Brodie Hester, 21, and Preston McKee, 22, were arrested by Phoenix Police on August 5, and now face multiple felony charges of sexual conduct with a minor in the Maricopa County Superior Court system in Phoenix, Arizona.
Police say Hester and McKee travelled from Arizona to New Mexico to collect the teen after meeting her online. But on the drive back to Phoenix they allegedly discovered she was only 17 – after a New Mexico detective called and they checked her ID.
Investigators say the pair then tried to put her on a bus back home, but after the attempt failed, they took her to a local house, Fox 10 Phoenix reported. According to police, the teen said she was taken to a hotel where she was bound and assaulted.
The teen claimed the men took her to a hotel, restrained her, placed a ball gag in her mouth and a “kinky mask” over her face before sexually assaulting her, Fox 10 reported. Eventually, the men allegedly left the young girl and she made an escape.
She also reportedly told investigators the men later drove her to a remote desert location and left her there. The teen then walked until she reached a Chipotle in Phoenix, where staff helped her and called emergency services.
During questioning, both suspects reportedly admitted to the assaults – with one allegedly acknowledging they continued even after knowing the girl’s age. McKee also allegedly acknowledged having sex with the teenager after learning her actual age.
Investigators say McKee told them he “did not think it was a big deal” because the pair had already had sex before the men learned she was a minor. Both men currently remain behind bars.
Hester is facing three counts of sexual conduct with a minor and is being held in the Maricopa County jail on a $251,000 cash-only bond (about £196,000). Meanwhile, McKee is facing two counts and is being held on a $200,000 bond (about £156,000).
They are due to appear in Maricopa County court on Wednesday (August 12), where proceedings are expected to focus on early case steps, including whether there is probable cause to move the case forward, and potential arraignment if an indictment is issued.
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