Quinlin James Hernandez, a 32-year-old resident of Crowheart, Wyoming, has been sentenced to 25 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release for sexual abuse. Chief U.S. District Court Judge Scott W. Skavdahl delivered the sentence on March 5 in Casper.
Court documents reveal that on April 13, 2024, a missing 14-year-old was found at Hernandez's residence. The minor had managed to send a text message to her grandmother requesting to be picked up. During an interview, the victim disclosed that Hernandez and several minors had taken her without her guardians' knowledge on April 10, 2023. They went to a liquor store where Hernandez purchased alcohol before taking them back to his home in Crowheart. There, both Hernandez and the minors consumed alcohol.
The victim reported that Hernandez made unwanted advances and sexually abused her twice over two and a half days at his residence. A Sexual Assault Nurse Examination confirmed the presence of Hernandez’s DNA on the victim's clothing. He was indicted on May 16, 2024.
Initially denying the allegations during interviews, Hernandez later admitted guilt in court on December 13, 2024. He confessed to having sex with the minor when she was too intoxicated to consent or refuse.
The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Indian Affairs Wind River Police Department and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kerry Jacobson prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), an initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse through coordinated efforts across federal, state, and local levels.
