An undocumented migrant, Marvin Perez Lopez, was apprehended in Florida over the weekend for allegedly sexually assaulting an 11-year-old girl. The incident occurred after Lopez, a 20-year-old Guatemalan native, confessed to abducting the girl from outside her home in Lake Worth, according to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office.
The victim’s mother discovered the assault when she went searching for her daughter outside their apartment building. Upon finding Lopez attacking the girl, the mother immediately began banging on the van windows and calling for help. The suspect, who resides in the same building as the victim, fled the scene, as reported by CBS12.
Law enforcement officers later located Lopez at his residence, but he managed to escape through a back window and fled into an alleyway. However, he was eventually apprehended on Saturday and now faces multiple charges, including kidnapping to sexually assault a minor, sexual assault of a victim under 12, and resisting an officer.
Lopez had entered the United States illegally by crossing the US-Mexico border in early January. He turned himself in to Border Patrol and was classified as an undocumented migrant, receiving an immigration court date in 2027, according to authorities. Sheriff Ric Bradshaw expressed his frustration, stating, “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.”
Lopez is currently being held without bond at the Palm Beach County jail. Sheriff Bradshaw emphasized that the suspect will face trial for a capital crime before any potential deportation proceedings. He further criticized the federal government, claiming that by allowing individuals like Lopez into the country, they are victimizing the American people.