Havre man faces multiple felonies in rape case

Editor’s note: The charges in this case were dismissed Aug. 30, 2016, without the case going to trial.

Elias Rene Lovo, 33, of Havre faces multiple felony charges after being accused of with sexual intercourse without consent with a 14-year-old.

Lovo was charged with sexual intercourse without consent and sexual assault, which both hold a penalty of no less than four years to no more than 100 years and not more than a $50,000 fine, as well as unlawful restraint, which holds a penalty of a maximum of 6 months in county jail and a fine of no more than $500.

According to a court document, a Great Falls Police officer responded to a call to a Motel 8 in Great Falls to investigate a complaint of suspicious activity. When he arrived, he spoke to a grandmother of the 14-year-old who said that her granddaughter had been in a hotel room with a group of males, later identified as Lovo and a Francis Benjamin, and the granddaughter would not tell her what happened.

The grandmother told the officer she knocked on the door of the room the males were staying in and they told her they “kicked the girls out of the room a long time ago.”

Another officer spoke to a 12-year-old witness who said she and the 14-year-old had gone into the room with two males, who offered them beer. The 12-year-old said they denied the beer and the 12-year-old texted her mother to tell her she was in a room with the males. Her mother told her to leave before they rape her, the court document reads.

The 12-year-old said she left the room without the 14-year-old and returned about 16 minutes later to retrieve her because the 14-year-old’s grandmother was looking for her. When she knocked on the door, one of the males answered it and she asked him if the 14-year-old was still in the room. The male replied, “she’s just getting her clothes on.”

When the 14-year-old left the room, she told the 12-year-old she just had sex. She said she tried to leave minutes after the 12-year-old left, but a male later identified as Lovo grabbed her by the arm and dragged her into the bathroom, the court document based on the two girls’ accounts reads. Once in the bathroom, Lovo proceeded to rape the 14-year-old.

Lovo fit the description of the man the 14-year-old described to police. When police tried to question Lovo, he invoked his Miranda rights and refused to speak with the officers.

The 14-year-old underwent a sexual assault medical examination, which came out positive for semen.

“I know I look like a monster in the media’s eyes,” wrote Lovo Tuesday morning to the Havre Daily News. “But these are all allegations. With a lot of holes in the story. Just read it for yourselves. Does it make sense? I wish I could say more, but I have a great attorney and faith and God on my side and plan on beating this in court. I am not a rapist and never will be.”