A Guatemalan illegal immigrant who is now charged in Florida with the kidnapping and sexual assault of a child, had been freed into the U.S. with a court date for 2027, officials said this week.
The Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office announced that Marvin Perez Lopez, an illegal immigrant from Guatemela, was arrested on Saturday for kidnapping a minor under 13 and sexual assault.
Detectives learned that he arrived in January after crossing into the U.S. via Mexico and turned himself into Border Patrol. Authorities say he was given a court date for some time in 2027 and released into the U.S.
He is currently being held in the county jail on no bond, the office said.
Perez Lopez is alleged to have grabbed an 11-year-old girl and forced her into his van, according to the arrest report, reported by CBS 12. The girl’s mother is said to have spotted them and started banging on the door, before the suspect jumped out of the van and fled, according to sheriff’s deputies.
When deputies arrived at his apartment, Perez Lopez is alleged to have fled into an alleyway before he was eventually caught.
"Here's a Guatemalan, who came into the country illegally, was stopped by the border people, released, and made his way to South Florida. And now he commits a crime where he held an 11-year-old girl against her will and sexually assaulted her," Sheriff Ric Bradshaw told the outlet.
In a statement, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) confirmed that Perez Lopez was encountered by Border Patrol, issued a notice to appear and released on an order of recognizance after being encountered on Jan 19. A spokesperson said that ICE ERO officers have since lodged a detainer on him since his arrest on May 5. A detainer is a request by ICE that the agency be notified before a suspected illegal immigrant is released from local police custody and to hold them until ICE can take custody of them and put them into deportation proceedings.
Subscribe to LiveNOW from FOX! kzfaq.info?su...
Where to watch LiveNOW from FOX: www.livenowfox.com/
Follow us @LiveNOWFOX on Twitter: / livenowfox
Raw and unfiltered. Watch a non-stop stream of breaking news, live events and stories across the nation. Limited commentary. No opinion. Experience LiveNOW from FOX.