Yuma man charged in connection with sexual assault while in Michigan

PONTIAC, Mich. (KYMA, KECY) - A Yuma man was arraigned in Michigan last week on charges related to an alleged sexual assault last month.

In a press release obtained by KYMA, the man, 36-year-old Joel Delvara, appeared before a Michigan judge last Monday on the following charges:

• First-degree criminal sexual conduct: A felony punishible by life imprisonment or any term of years and requires mandatory lifetime electronic monitoring, mandatory AIDS/STD tesing, and requires DNA to be taken upon arrest.
• Second-degree criminal sexual conduct: A felony punishible by 15 years imprisonment and requires mandatory AIDS/STD testing and SNA to be taken upon arrest.
• First-degree home invasion: A felony punishible by 20 years imprisonment and/or a fine up to $5,000.

The press release says the charges "stem from an incident that took place" on August 14 of this year in Auburn Hills, where Delvara was staying at a hotel and he allegedly "had a copy of the victim's hotel room key, gained access to her room, and sexually assaulted her before abruptly flying back" to Yuma.

According to the press release, "The victim reported the attack to law enforcement and charges were issued" against Delvara, which led to his extradiction back to Auburn Hills after the Yuma Police Department (YPD) received an arrest warrant a week later.

"The impact of rape on a victim and our community is immense. This case will be handled by my office's Special Victims Unit (SVU), which is dedicated to prosecuting violent sex offenders and getting justice for victims. We will hold perpetrators fully accountable under the law," said Karen McDonald, the Oakland County Prosecutor.

The press release further says a probable cause conference is set for September 19 while a preliminary examination is set for September 26.