Trending
Jhalil Kyle Fuquan Means, 27, Minot, pleaded not guilty on Friday to Class AA felony gross sexual imposition, Class A felony kidnapping, Class B felony burglary, and Class C felony terrorizing.
He is accused of twice sexually assaulting at gunpoint a hitchhiker whom he picked up walking along the highway from Velva to Minot on July 7. Means admitted to having sexual contact with the woman but claims it was consensual, according to statements made in court.
According to statements made in court at a preliminary hearing on Friday, authorities tested paper towels that the woman had thrown in a trash can at her house after the alleged assault and the DNA in the trash can was a match to a sample taken from Means. Ward County Assistant State's Attorney John Gonzalez told the judge that his office went out of its way to get the DNA report from the state crime laboratory ahead of the probable cause hearing, far more quickly than usually happens. The DNA report came in shortly after 4 p.m. on Thursday and Gonzalez said the state's attorney's office notified defense attorney Kyle Craig a couple of minutes later. Gonzalez said the state wanted to avoid the problems it had with a previous case that was tried before Cresap.
Craig pointed out what he said were potential problems with the state's case and with the alleged victim's account and asked for a lower bond. Cresap found probable cause to set the case for trial and also refused to lower Means' bond any further. The next hearing in the case is a pre-trial conference on Jan. 6.