Topeka man who held women captive will be charged

TOPEKA (KSNT) - A man who held three women against their will and sexually assaulted them has been charged.

On Wednesday, Shawnee County District Attorney Mike Kagay announced that Paul Gavino Mendez was bound over for trial in Shawnee County District Court Case 21-CR-156.

Kagay said the charges stem from a series of sexual assaults that Mendez is alleged to have committed between August 2019 and January 2021. The women were known to Mendez, according to Kagay.

According to a press release from the office of the district attorney, Mendez had held three different women against their will and sexually assaulted them during that time. He is accused of recording some of the assaults. He was taken into custody on Jan. 28, 2021.

At the conclusion of a 2-day preliminary hearing, the court found probable cause to believe that Mendez committed the following crimes:

• 3 counts of rape
• 3 counts of aggravated criminal sodomy
• 3 counts of kidnapping
• 2 counts of aggravated assault
• Breach of privacy

Mendez will also face a misdemeanor charge of falsely impersonating a law enforcement officer when he goes to trial in this matter. Mendez will remain in custody with a bond set at $1,000,000. His case is set for a scheduling docket on July 21.