In a shocking incident that unfolded in Florida over the weekend, an undocumented immigrant, who had been released in the United States after illegally crossing the border, was apprehended for allegedly sexually assaulting an 11-year-old girl in his van.
The accused, Marvin Perez Lopez, a 20-year-old native of Guatemala, reportedly confessed to abducting the girl from the vicinity of her home in Lake Worth and forcing her into his vehicle, as per the Palm Beach County Sheriffs Office's statement on Monday.
The victim's mother reportedly discovered Lopez in the act of assaulting her daughter when she went in search of her outside their apartment complex. Upon witnessing the horrifying scene, the mother began pounding on the van windows and crying out for assistance. The alleged perpetrator, who resides in the same building as the victim, hastily fled the scene, as reported by CBS12.
Sheriff's deputies, upon arriving at Lopez's residence, observed him making an escape through a rear window and running into an alleyway. He was ultimately apprehended on Saturday and charged with a series of offenses, including kidnapping with intent to sexually assault a minor, sexual assault of a victim under 12, and resisting an officer.
Lopez had been living freely in the U.S. after illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border in early January, according to the sheriff's office. He had surrendered himself to Border Patrol, was classified as an undocumented migrant, and was scheduled for an immigration court hearing in 2027, authorities further disclosed.
Sheriff Ric Bradshaw expressed his outrage at the incident, stating, "Heres 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." He added, "We grabbed him. Hes confessed to the crime. So hes gonna get tried for a capital crime before he even remotely thinks hes gonna get deported. Hes gonna do the time here first. The federal government is victimizing the people who live in this country by letting these people in here."
Currently, Lopez is being detained at the Palm Beach County jail without the possibility of bail.
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