Joshua Joe Molinar, 39, was found guilty on counts of aggravated kidnapping and aggravated sexual assault related to his arrest in 2023 after he tried to kidnap a woman and initiated a SWAT standoff.
An arrest warrant obtained by EverythingLubbock.com revealed Molinar had kidnapped a victim at a home in the 2600 block of Colgate Street after she went over asking to borrow his phone. He assaulted her and “violently forced [her] into a particular form of sexual abuse.”
The victim was able to escape after a three-hour struggle. Molinar then hid in an underground bunker and would not come out. Finally, after several hours of negotiating, SWAT deployed gas in the bunker, causing Molinar to exit. He was then booked into the Lubbock County Detention Center.
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During the trial, the state argued, “None of this sexual contact was consensual, none was without fear… She didn’t go into that house willingly… [He] made her feel she was going to die if she didn’t have sex with her.”
But the defense said the victim was no credible because she had lied before and was under the influence of drugs.
“I really believe neither one of them knows what happened that day. Neither one of them really knows. Meth and alcohol can mess you up mentally,” Molinar’s attorney said.
The jury was out at 11:30 a.m. Thursday. Molinar was found guilty as charged in the indictment.
The sentencing phase for Molinar will begin Tuesday at 9 a.m.
