A Cottonwood man, Humberto Antonio Moreno, has been sentenced to 33.5 years in prison after pleading guilty to three counts of Sexual Assault, one count each of Attempted Sexual Assault, Kidnapping, and dangerous Aggravated Assault.
According to the Cottonwood Police Department, on August 16, 2020, at around 10:30 a.m., the Cottonwood Fire and Police Departments responded to an area home after receiving a call from a medical alert device from the residence. When they arrived, they found the front door blocked by furniture.
After forcing entry, emergency first responders discovered that the bedroom door was locked. From behind the door, a man yelled that he was naked, and everything was all right. Emergency personnel knew the elderly woman lived alone in the home and forced the bedroom door open.
There, they found the 36-year-old Moreno in the act of trying to suffocate the 75-year old woman.
Moreno was taken into custody and the victim was transported to the hospital.
Police investigators learned that the victim heard a knock on her patio door very early that morning. She responded to the knock and Moreno told her the hose had been left on and was flooding everywhere. When she unlocked the door, Moreno forced his way into her house with a knife. Over a period of approximately four hours, Moreno sexually assaulted the elderly victim. The victim found an opportunity to press her life-alert necklace hanging in the bathroom. Fire and police personnel received the medical alert and immediately responded to the home.