Police in Virginia have arrested an illegal immigrant on suspicion of raping a woman on a hiking trail in suburban Washington, D.C., around 20 miles from the White House.
Herndon Police Department said Denis Humberto Navarette Romero, 31, attacked the woman just before 9 p.m. on November 18. He allegedly grabbed her hair and dragged her into bushes off the Washington & Old Dominion Railroad Trail in Herndon.
Speaking to reporters the following day, Herndon Police Chief Maggie DeBoard said such an assault had not happened in the 12 years she had overseen the department.
Navarette Romero, a Honduran national, was found with some of the victim's belongings, the chief said, and he was charged with abduction with intent to defile and rape.
"Based on a criminal history search and statements made to HPD by the suspect, we believe there could be additional victims of Navarette Romero," DeBoard said. "We also believe others may have witnessed this incident or similar incidents where he may have been encountered."
The chief said the Honduran's criminal history in the area began in 2022, including sexual assaults and exposures.
"What is disturbing is the number times this individual has been arrested and released," the chief said.
The Chief later told WJLA that alleged offences stretched back to 2017, including sexual battery against several juveniles.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) told WJLA that it had interviewed Navarette Romero on Tuesday and placed an immigration detainer on him.
Newsweek reached out to ICE for comment Wednesday evening via email.
DeBoard said she did not necessarily want the migrant deported straight away, after he had been released multiple times only to reoffend.
"The problem with deporting him right now would be there is a strong chance that he could end up back in this country again," she told WJLA. "The danger is, if he's not held accountable for his crimes here, and he's simply deported, we would have no way to keep him from coming back into the country."
Virginia's Attorney General Jason Miyares told the outlet that local authorities needed to cooperate with federal officials and ensure that illegal migrants accused of crimes were not released back into the community.
"They're playing politics with people's safety," he said.
ICE has faced issues across the country with its detainers being ignored, meaning individuals are released by local law enforcement or jails rather than handed over to ICE officers who then see through their deportations.
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