SALEM, Ore. — A Mexican man who eluded Oregon authorities for years has pleaded guilty to rape.
Raul Xalamihua-Espindola was 19 years old in 2007 when he took an 11-year-old Keizer girl to Mexico. The girl left a note for her parents that said she was running away with her boyfriend.
The girl was found several months later and returned to Oregon. The suspect avoided capture for many years and then it took additional time for him to be extradited from Mexico to the Marion County Jail.
The Statesman Journal reports that two translators were needed for Tuesday’s court proceeding. One to translate English to Spanish, and one to translate Spanish to a language spoken in Central Mexico.
Sentencing has been scheduled for June 6.
