New details have been released after Virginia authorities arrested a 32-year-old Venezuelan national illegally present in the U.S. for sexual assault of a minor.
The Campbell County Sheriff’s Office said that Renzo Mendoza Montes was arrested on Thursday, Feb. 22, on two felony charges in connection to a sexual assault that took place in January. The victim was a 14-year-old female, officials said.
“Due to the fact that is an active investigation, the sheriff’s office will not be releasing any additional details related to the case. We are especially sensitive to the fact that these crimes involve a young juvenile who lives here within our community,” Sheriff Whit Clark said in a statement.
“Like any criminal investigation conducted by the Campbell County Sheriff’s Office, upholding the integrity of a case is priority for our department and the Campbell County Commonwealth’s Attorney,” the sheriff added.
VENEZUELAN MIGRANT ILLEGALLY IN US CHARGED FOR SEXUAL ASSAULT AGAINST MINOR IN VIRGINIA
Venezuelan illegal immigrant arrested for sexual assault of minor in Virginia. (Campbell County Sheriff’s Office)
Mendoza was arrested on one felony charge of carnal knowledge of a child without force and one felony charge of taking indecent liberties with a child, the sheriff’s office said.
He is currently being held on those charges at the Blue Ridge Regional Jail.
Officials said Mendoza is a Venezuelan citizen who is in the country illegally after being previously detained and released by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol in El Paso, Texas, on Sept. 2, 2023.
Mendoza has since been residing in Campbell County, Virginia, officials said.
SAN DIEGO STREETS, AIRPORT FLOODED WITH 1,500 MIGRANTS AFTER MASS-RELEASE
CCTV cameras captured a group of migrants stomping and kicking police officers in a vicious Times Square attack on Jan. 27. On the right, one of the suspects, Jhoan Boada, 22, flips off reporters after his release from police custody on Jan. 31. (NYPD/New York Post/Fox News)
This latest arrest comes as violent crimes against U.S. citizens by illegal immigrants are on the rise.
University of Georgia police found the body of 22-year-old Laken Riley in a forested area behind Lake Herrick around 12:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 22, after a friend called authorities to report that she left for a run Thursday morning and never returned.
26-year-old Jose Antonio Ibarra, an illegal immigrant from Venezeula living in an apartment building that sits on the edge of the park where Riley was running, allegedly murdered the aspiring nurse in what UGA Police Chief Jeffrey Clark described as a “crime of opportunity.”
The 26-year-old suspect illegally crossed into the United States through El Paso, Texas, in September 2022 and was released into the U.S. via parole, three ICE and DHS, sources told Fox News.
2 MIGRANTS WHO STOMPED AND KICKED NYPD OFFICERS IN VICIOUS TIMES SQUARE ATTACK YET TO BE ARRESTED
Jesus Alejandro Rivas-Figueroa is escorted out of the Manhattan Criminal Court in Manhattan, New York on Saturday, February 10, 2024. Rivas-Figueroa is being held without bail for allegedly shooting a tourist and shooting at two NYPD officers in Times Square last week. (Barry Williams for Fox News Digital)
In New York, 15-year-old Jesus Alejandro Rivas-Figueroa, another migrant from Venezuela, will be tried as an adult for allegedly shooting a tourist and firing at police near Times Square earlier this month.
Rivas-Figueroa faces a slew of charges including two counts of attempted murder, assault, attempted assault and two counts of criminal possession of a weapon.
According to police, the young man arrived in New York City from Venezuela less than six months ago. He was living at a migrant shelter on the Upper West Side.
Then in January, five violent migrants were caught on video brutally stomping and kicking NYPD officers in Times Square.
VENEZUELAN MIGRANT, 15, CHARGED AS ADULT WITH NO BAIL IN TIMES SQUARE ATTACK ON POLICE, BRAZILIAN TOURIST
The footage, along with a video of one of the immigrants giving the middle finger after being released, sparked widespread condemnation.
Several of those already arrested were released on bail and have fled the state, leading to some New York Republican lawmakers calling for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg to be removed from office. Bragg said that his office, “continues to work with law enforcement to bring everyone responsible for these heinous attacks to justice.”
Darwin Andres Gomez, 19, Wilson Juarez, 21, Kelvin Servita Arocha, 19, and Yorman Reveron, 24, were part of the initial group of four who were arrested and let go. Police say that they have skipped town and have headed to California.
Jhoan Boada, 22, was arrested later and then released before flipping the bird to waiting reporters.
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Yohenry Brito, 24, and Jandry Barros, 21, were also arrested in the case. Brito was indicted by a grand jury in relation to the attack on the officers, although Barros has not been charged in relation to the attack.
A video released earlier this month from December shows members of a migrant crime gang dragging a woman down a New York City street, grabbing her purse and sending her careening into a steel pole before speeding off.
Fox News Digital’s Stepheny Price, Audrey Conklin and Michael Dorgan, as well as Fox News’ Bill Melugin and Lillian Lecroy contributed to this report.
