Law enforcement in Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, have arrested a mother and an illegal immigrant after the escape of a 12-year-old girl from an alleged child trafficking scheme, a Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office (FDLCSO) press release says.
The incident began at approximately 12:12 a.m. on Sunday when deputies from the FDLCSO received a distress call, the press release reads. The caller informed authorities that a young girl showed up at his door asking for assistance. She had just escaped from a vehicle where an adult male had allegedly bound and blindfolded her with the intent to sexually assault her.
“Bravely, she was able to fight back, break free from the suspect and vehicle, and ran to the house for help,” the press release says. (RELATED: Illegal Alien Arrested For Sexually Assaulting A Minor, But Then Released After Detainer Ignored, ICE Says)
After the girl was safe, detectives quickly sprang into action to identify and find the alleged perpetrator, the press release states. The man was taken into custody after a SWAT raid at a residence close by.
“It is alleged that the suspect paid the victim’s mother, who he knew, in exchange for time alone with the victim,” the press release reads.
“Sheriff’s detectives have determined the suspect of the assault is a 30 or 21 year old Nicaraguan man (legal identity yet to be determined based on multiple aliases) who entered the United States illegally from Mexico into Texas in October of 2021. At that time he was apprehended by US Customs and Border Protection Agents, processed at a federal facility, and released from their custody …” the press release continues.
The girl and her siblings have been taken into protective custody by Fond du Lac County Human Services, the press release adds. Law enforcement is still working to determine the mother’s immigration status, as both she and the suspect remain in custody.
The FDLCSO’s investigation “involves numerous serious potential crimes including sexual assault of a child, false imprisonment, child human trafficking, failure to protect a child, and others,” the press release says.
In Brown County, Wisconsin last month, another illegal immigrant was arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a child, WBAY reported. “Wilmer Martinez-Sanchez, 30, of Green Bay was charged with Repeated Acts of Sexual Assault of a Child on Wednesday after being interviewed by Green Bay Police detectives at the Outagamie County Jail on Monday,” according to the outlet. Martinez-Sanchez had reportedly been sentenced for credit card theft and was scheduled for deportation to Nicaragua, the criminal complaint and the court’s website revealed.
