CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WJZY) — Bond was raised to $4.5 million Tuesday in court for a man charged in several sexual assault and attempted kidnapping cases in Mecklenburg County.
Kelvin Rene Mejia Ortiz, 31, appeared in Mecklenburg County District Court for the morning session on various charges including felony first-degree rape, felony first-degree attempted kidnapping, assault with a deadly weapon, and sexual battery.
Ortiz was wanted in connection to multiple cases across Mecklenburg County, including two sexual assaults and three attempted kidnappings, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police said.
All victims of Ortiz that CMPD has identified at this point are Hispanic women, authorities said. Ortiz would speak both English and Spanish to his victims.
According to CMPD, Ortiz would follow his victims in his Jeep before using various weapons, like a gun or screwdriver, to intimidate the women into leaving with him.
Ortiz has been charged in connection to five cases, three located in the Steele Creek Division, one located in the Westover Division, and another located in Huntersville.
Ortiz was located by Steele Creek officers on Saturday in his Jeep shortly after 7:30 p.m. He was taken into custody without incident and transported to uptown Charlotte for questioning before he was charged and transported to the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office.
Ortiz was booked at 5:02 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 10. His bond was originally set for $1.3 million before it was raised to $4.5 million after the DA said the ‘crimes escalated in violence.’
