The attorney for a man who surrendered to the Halifax County Sheriff’s Office Tuesday to face a charge of second-degree forcible sex offense filed two motions in court this morning: a demand for a probable cause hearing and a motion for bond modification, according to documents filed in the case.

Major Anzell Harris said that on March 19, deputies responded to ECU Health North Hospital following a report of a sexual assault. 

Warrants for Jorge C. Mendoza, 38, of Littleton, were obtained by Lieutenant T. Byers on April 6 and on Tuesday, Mendoza surrendered. He is currently jailed on a $50,000 secured bond as he awaits his next district court date on April 28.

This morning, Mendoza’s attorney, James E.P. Walker filed a demand for a probable cause hearing. 

Walker asserts that a hearing will result in a finding of no probable cause, requiring a judge to dismiss the charge. If a hearing is not scheduled within 15 days of the arrest date, Walker requests that the matter be dismissed.

In his motion for a bond modification, Walker wrote that the charges are unfounded and motivated by "petty jealousy." 

Walker stated that Mendoza and the alleged victim were involved in a consensual, two-year romantic relationship and that GPS tracking data from work vehicles and testimony from two co-workers would show his client was in the presence of others at the time of the alleged assault.

Mendoza was suspended from his job of 14 years following the complaint. 

The motion claims the HCSO never interviewed corporate representatives or other employees and notes a lack of physical evidence. 

According to the filing, the HCSO acknowledged the case relies solely on the word of the defendant “versus the word of the purported victim.”

Walker wrote in the motion that Mendoza is neither a flight risk nor a danger to the community. The motion also highlights his voluntary surrender and stable community ties.