Carey council member declines comment after multiple rape allegations involving minors

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio — A village council member from Carey and former mayoral candidate has been indicted in a Wood County court on multiple charges accusing him of raping at least two minors between 2004 and 2006.

Court records from the Wood County Clerk of Courts show that Evaristo Hernandez was indicted Friday on thirteen counts of first-degree felony rape.

Five counts accuse him of raping a child at various times between March 2004 and June 2005, when the victim was between 11 and 12 years old, including one incident that allegedly occurred in Wyandot County.

The remaining eight counts accuse him of raping a different victim by force or threat of force between March 2004 and February 2006, when that victim was between 13 and 15 years old.

Hernandez had earlier been indicted on October 2, 2025, on six additional first-degree felony rape charges in two separate cases. Authorities allege those incidents also occurred in 2004, with three of the charges specifying that the victim was 11 years old at the time.

The trial for those two cases is set for July 14, 2026.

Hernandez, 55, was about 33 to 35 years old when the alleged rapes in all three cases took place.

According to the Village of Carey, Hernandez’s term on the Carey Village Council runs through the end of 2027.

Hernandez also ran as an independent candidate for mayor in 2025 but lost to Republican Tyler Bame. Wyandot County records show Hernandez received 8% of the vote, while Bame secured 92%.

Several members of the Carey Village Council were contacted. One councilmember responded but declined to comment, while the others did not reply.

Residents in the village of Carey who spoke with WTOL 11 said they were aware of the case but chose not to discuss it in detail.

Officials also reached out to the village office for comment. In December 2025, former Carey Mayor Chad Kin told WTOL 11 he had no comment on the case.

These developments come as the Village of Carey issued a proclamation at its most recent council meeting declaring April 2026 as Child Abuse Prevention and Sexual Assault Awareness Month. According to the Village of Carey, Hernandez attended that meeting.