THE charge of sexual assault of a minor against Jose Fejeran Tudela, 57, has been dismissed without prejudice by Superior Court Presiding Judge Roberto C. Naraja on Friday, Oct. 7.
Without prejudice means that the Office of the Attorney General can refile the case in the future.
Associate Judge Joseph N. Camacho, for his part, issued an order on the same day releasing Tudela from the custody of the Department of Corrections.
It was Chief Prosecutor Chester Hinds who filed the motion to dismiss the case against Tudela “in the interest of justice.”
Tudela was accused of sexually assaulting a sixth grader and was charged with one count of sexual abuse of a minor in the first degree.
He was represented by attorney Charity Hodson.
On Sept. 26, 2022, the Department of Public Safety central office received a report about a possible sexual assault of a minor incident.
In a forensic interview, the minor told investigators that Tudela inappropriately touched her on Saturday evening, Sept. 24, 2022, in the living room of her residence.
She said she tried to push Tudela with her hands and legs but he pushed her hands and legs away.
When she asked him to stop, she said Tudela told her to “shut up!”
She said it wasn’t the first time that Tudela had molested her, adding that the first incident happened when she was in third grade.
