The Branson Tri-Lakes News reports on incidents involving a homeless man committing a pair of crimes so he could get thrown in jail.

A homeless man is in the Taney County Jail facing sex crime charges related to two incidents in Branson.

Hiram Jose Martinez-Negron is facing a one count of first-degree sexual abuse, a class C felony, and first-degree sodomy. If convicted on both counts, he could be sentenced to life in prison.

According to court documents, Martinez-Negron committed two assaults on back-to-back days, Oct. 13 and 14, 2021. 

In the first attack, he entered the lobby of a hotel and asked the attendant if any rooms were available. The employee informed him that there were no rooms available, and Martinez-Negron asked if the woman was single. She told him that she was not single. He asked for directions to the bathroom.

The attendant found Martinez-Negron wandering in the hallway near the bathrooms, and gave him directions again to their location. The victim said that he entered the bathroom but exited before the door closed, rushed toward her, and began to assault her.

The victim attempted to shove Martinez-Negron off her, and began to yell when she could not make him stop his assault on her. When she began to scream, Martinez-Negron let go of the woman and left the establishment.

The following day he approached a woman who was walking a dog in Branson. The victim told police he rushed at her and began to grope her. She began screaming as he assaulted her, so he broke off his assault and ran into the woods.

Branson Police were notified and began a search for Martinez-Negron. He was taken into custody, and police arranged for the help of a translation service to read him the Miranda warning. He agreed to be questioned by police.

He told police that he assaulted the two women because he wanted to get himself arrested so “he could have a place to stay and have food to eat.” When police asked him about whether he had any concern about his victims, Martinez-Negron said they “were not his concern” and that he “used them as a way to get help.”

The next hearing in the case is scheduled for Oct. 26. Martinez-Negron is applying for a Spanish-speaking public defender.

(Story by Jason Wert, Branson Tri-Lakes News)