Rape Case On Columbia Footpath Leads To Plea

ELLICOTT CITY, MD — A Columbia man entered an Alford plea this week in a rape case from last summer, according to the Howard County State's Attorney's Office. An Alford plea means the man admitted there was enough evidence to convict him but was not admitting guilt.

The case stemmed from an alleged sexual assault on a Columbia footpath in June 2017.

Jonathan Mauric Tejada-Flores, 20, of the 5200 block of Turnabout Lane, has been held without bail at the Howard County Detention Center since June 6, 2017, according to court records.

Tejada-Flores was arrested near the area where an 18-year-old woman was assaulted on a footpath off Little Patuxent Parkway and Governor Warfield Parkway, according to the state's attorney. The woman had been walking on the path at 11 p.m. on June 4, 2017.

After asking the teen for a cigar several times, Tejada-Flores allegedly grabbed her, pushed her against a wall and sexually assaulted her.

When the victim fought back, Tejada-Flores kicked her, put her in a headlock and pulled down her shorts, according to the state's attorney.

Continuing to fight back, the victim punched the man and when Tejada-Flores ran away, she chased after her assailant and marched him to The Gramercy at Town Center Apartments in the 1600 block of Gramercy Place, where she knocked on doors and asked residents to contact authorities, the state's attorney said.

Tejada-Flores, brandishing a knife, forced the victim back to the scene of their initial encounter, where he was taken into custody, authorities said.

Had the case gone to trial, Assistant State’s Attorney Jennifer Ritter said she would have produced the knife, which authorities recovered the following day where the victim saw Tejada-Flores leave it.

Photographs also showed scratches on the victim's hand and neck and a bite mark on her neck, according to Ritter, who says she plans to ask for a 15-year sentence with all but six years suspended.

Tejada-Flores entered the Alford plea in Howard County Circuit Court Wednesday for the charge of attempted second-degree rape. An Alford plea is a guilty plea without admitting guilt.

Howard County Circuit Court Judge Richard S. Bernhardt ordered a pre-sentence investigation and will conduct sentencing on May 17.

Photo courtesy of the Howard County State's Attorney's Office.

This article has been updated to indicate the plea was for the charge of attempted second-degree rape.