Lynn man indicted on child rape charge

SALEM – A Lynn man charged with raping and molesting a 7-year-old girl in his Western Avenue home beginning in 2009 was one of two Lynn men indicted Wednesday afternoon by an Essex County grand jury.Jose Mendoza, 51, of 317 Western Ave., is charged with aggravated rape of a child as well as three counts of indecent assault and battery on a child under the age of 14.The charges arise out of incidents at his Western Avenue home on diverse dates between Sept. 1, 2009 and April 30, 2011.The child reportedly was 7 when the sexual abuse began. Mendoza was living with a grandmother at the time of the alleged misconduct, according to police reports.Mendoza faces a potential life sentence in state prison if convicted on the aggravated rape of a child charge and up to 10 years in prison on each of the indecent assault and battery charges.He is expected to be arraigned in Salem Superior Court within a month.Assistant District Attorney Melissa Woodard is prosecuting the case for the state.Also indicted was:Justice Gonzalez, 20, of 3 Henry Ave., #3, charged with trafficking over 14 grams of cocaine. He was arrested on the afternoon of May 24 after police stopped him in a black Lexus on Broad Street. Gonzalez was a passenger in the vehicle police pulled over for a motor vehicle infraction, according to reports.Police said they seized approximately 16 grams of cocaine from his person.Gonzalez faces a minimum mandatory punishment of three years in state prison if convicted.Assistant District Attorney Michael Sheehan has been assigned to prosecute the case.An indictment is not an indication of guilt, rather a legal procedure that allows a case to be transferred from District Court to Superior Court allowing for a more severe punishment.