BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — A Bloomington man is accused of following a woman walking on the sidewalk, pushing her into a wooded area, and sexually assaulting her until bystanders jumped into help.
Manuel Lopez, 37, is charged with rape (a level 3 felony), sexual battery and confinement (both level 6 felonies).
According to court documents, the assault happened on July 15 on Woodlawn Avenue near Hillside Avenue.
Bloomington Police talked with the woman, who said she was walking south on Woodlawn when she saw Lopez walking the opposite direction.
He allegedly passed the woman before turning around and following her.
According to court documents, the woman said she did not know Lopez and told him to multiple times to stop following her.
She also said she thought Lopez was very drunk.
After she turned onto Huntington Drive, she said Lopez grabbed her and threw her to the ground.
Lopez allegedly then got on top of the woman and began assaulting her. The woman told police she scratched Lopez's face with her nails, punched him, and bit his arm to try to get away.
Two bystanders told police they had seen Lopez following the woman and could see he was making her uncomfortable.
When they circled back, they reported seeing Lopez on top of the woman and she was fighting back.
Lopez allegedly ran off when the two witnesses came to help the woman.
As police were searching for Lopez, they reportedly received a separate call from a woman on Miller Drive. She reported that a man matching Lopez's description had approached her saying she "looked good," while he was rubbing his crotch.
She told him she would kick him if he got any close.
Police were able to locate Lopez a short time later near the Walnut Street entrance to Switchyard Park.
According to court documents, he appeared very drunk and had fresh scratch marks on his face.
Lopez denied any involvement in the assault, claiming the scratches came from a man at Kroger.
However, police noted that Lopez had grass clippings on his pants, consistent with the accusations.
Online court records Lopez remains in jail for the charges. He is due back in court on Sept. 5
If convicted, Lopez could face up to 16 years in prison for a level 3 felony charge, according to Indiana Sentencing Guidelines.
