Hardeeville man gets 18 years after conviction for sexual assault of Bluffton jogger
Johnathan Mendoza-Mayoral, 20, pleaded guilty to first-degree assault and battery with intent to commit criminal sexual conduct Monday morning in the The 2020 attempted sexual assault of a Bluffton jogger.. He was sentenced to 18 years in prison and will be placed on the sex-offender registry.
The incident happened nearly three years ago on October 20, 2020, when the victim was jogging near Mill Creek in the Cypress Ridge neighborhood at around 10:15 p.m.
Mendoza-Mayoral, of Hardeeville, grabbed the victim by her neck, groped her, then dragged her off the sidewalk and choked her until she nearly lost consciousness, the solicitor’s office said. The victim was able to fight her attacker off and he ran away towards the neighborhood’s pool.
“This defendant is a violent offender who planned his attack,” said Prosecutor Sara Malone of the 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office, “Fortunately, this victim was able to fight him off before he carried out his plan, and he is headed to prison in no small part because of her actions.”
Mendoza-Mayoral’s DNA was matched with DNA collected from the 2020 incident when he was arrested in February of this year for a separate incident.
Mendoza-Mayoral, who has been held without bond since he was arrested was also placed on an immigration detainer, which means U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement will likely deport him after serving his sentence, the solicitor’s office said.
