Alleged Rapist Could Spend the Rest of His Life Behind Bars

On Dec. 30, the Evansville Police Department responded to a reported rape. They put a warrant out for the suspect, Orion Mestas.

On Feb. 7, they made an arrest and charged Mestas with first degree sexual asault, a felony that is punishable by 25 years in prison to life. This according to a news release the agency posted on their social media.

Mestas made an initial appearance in Natrona County Circuit court last Thursday, but the details of the charge are not available as the case is still sealed, meaning records are not available to the public at this time due to the nature of the charge.

Per Wyoming law, the records of defendants charged with sexual offenses are not released unless the case is bound over to Natrona County District Court.

Mestas is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

Mestas is also being charged with interference, a misdemeanor punishable by one year in prison.

At about 2:00 p.m. on Dec. 30 officers knocked on Mestas' door with a search warrant in hand. Mestas' roommate was reportedly hesitant to let them in, but eventually complied and went and got Mestas.

"When his roommate asked what all the law enforcement presence was about, Mestas excitedly uttered 'I f-cked up last night'" per court records.

Then he went into the bathroom next to his bedroom and grabbed a bottle of alcohol and attepmted to take a drink from it. At this point he was already "clearly intoxicated."

When officers tried to cuff him, Mestas allegedly resisted.

Mestas will next appear in court for a preliminary hearing where the prosecutor must show enough evidence exists to charge the defendant. This usually happens within 10 to 20 days of the initial appearance.

Preliminary hearings are not always required, and the defendant can choose to waive it.