MILWAUKEE (TS) — A Wisconsin man is accused of sexually assaulting a woman and a teenage girl after getting drinks together at a restaurant he co-owns, authorities said.
Kevin Ivan Lopez, 36, is charged with child sexual assault and sexual assault of an unconscious victim, court records filed March 28 show.
Investigators say Lopez and three others went out for a night of drinking March 23, staying out until the bars started closing at 2 a.m. the next morning. But instead of heading home, they decided to go to Judy’s Cantina, a Mexican restaurant in Milwaukee that Lopez is a part owner of, authorities said.
Lopez runs the restaurant with his mother, according to a 2024 article by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Now, she intends to “take on full ownership,” she told WITI.
On the way to Judy’s Cantina, the group picked up a 14-year-old girl who was staying at an apartment of one of the friends, according to police. It’s not clear why the teen was at the apartment or how she knows any of the individuals involved.
The group continued their drinking and the teen had two cocktails before leaving Judy’s Cantina at about 4 a.m., at which point everyone returned to the apartment, authorities said.
After arriving at the apartment, Lopez’s friend and one of the bargoers split off into a separate room. Meanwhile, a woman laid on a couch beside the teen and “instantly” fell asleep, investigators said.
While the teen tried to sleep, she saw Lopez pull down the woman’s pants, take pictures and begin assaulting her, officials said.
The girl told authorities she “thought that if (Lopez) knew she was awake he would stop.” So she got up from the couch and went to the bathroom. She told investigators she “tripped and made a loud noise,” and Lopez’s friend came out of a nearby bedroom to see if she was okay, then carried her back to the couch.
As she was about to fall asleep, Lopez returned and raped her, according to police. He held her down as she struggled against him, pinning her arms when she tried to reach out to the woman next to her for help, she told police.
The woman awoke to the girl crying.
“I did not want it to happen. I wanted it to stop,” the girl told the woman, according to investigators. “I tried to wake you up, but he held my hands. You didn’t wake up. It happened.”
The victims were taken to Mount Sinai Hospital and a sexual assault nurse confirmed they had injuries consistent with rape, investigators said.
An arrest warrant for Lopez was filed March 29, records show.
By MITCHELL WILLETTS/The State
Mitchell Willetts is a real-time news reporter covering the central U.S. for McClatchy. He is a University of Oklahoma graduate and outdoors enthusiast living in Texas.
