Mom, man charged with paying her for access to 12-year-old daughter appear in court

FOND DU LAC (WLUK) — The mother of a 12-year-old girl who allegedly trafficked the girl was ordered Friday to stand trial. The man who allegedly paid the mom for access to and then sexually assaulted the girl does not yet have an attorney, so his preliminary hearing was delayed.

Elia Antonio, 33, is charged with trafficking of a child, failure to protect a child, and bail jumping. She waived her preliminary hearing Friday, court records show. No arraignment date was set.

Juan Rocha Mejia, 31, is charged with sexual assault, child enticement, strangulation/suffocation and false imprisonment. His preliminary hearing is now scheduled for July 25.

According to the criminal complaint, he assaulted the girl in the back of a van in Oakfield. The girl, according to authorities, fought off her attacker, who had bound and blindfolded her, biting him before running away to a nearby home, where a Good Samaritan called 911.

"When deputies arrived they started talking to this girl and quickly realized the magnitude of the allegations and seriousness of the crime," Fond du Lac County Sheriff Ryan Waldschmidt previously said.

At an earlier court hearing, District Attorney Eric Toney said, "The allegations in the criminal complaint reflect the defendant attempting to sexually assault the victim, having sexual contact over her clothing, trying to restrain her with tape, trying to blindfold her, trying to constrict her airways and her brave actions resulted in her escaping and getting help."

Through an interpreter, Rocha Mejia denied the allegations. He said, "What they are accusing me here, I have nothing to do with this."

Toney has said the investigation into the incident and the two defendants is not over.

"If anybody has any information related to these two individuals, we would ask that you contact the Fond du Lac County Sheriff's Office. As the investigation is still ongoing, there's always the possibility of additional charges at a later date," he said.

Help is available with the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 888-373-7888 or text "INFO" to 233733. Local resources are available with ASTOP's 24-hour crisis line: 920-926-5395.