Undocumented immigrant charged with sexual assault of 11-year-old girl

LAKE WORTH BEACH, Fla. – An undocumented immigrant from Guatemala is accused of kidnapping and sexually abusing an 11-year-old girl in Lake Worth Beach, officials said.

The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office said the suspect, Marvin Perez Lopez, 20, was arrested Saturday.

According to an affidavit, the incident occurred Thursday in a parked van near the family’s home.

The child’s mother told investigators she thought her daughter was in her home, but wasn’t there and went outside to look for her.

After walking around, she noticed her daughter was in the van with a man.

She told them she banged on the van and asked them what they were doing, and the suspect ran out of the van, said he was sorry and asked for forgiveness. The affidavit states that the child and Lopez live in the same residence.

The affidavit states the mother did not call police because she was afraid due to her immigration status and a previous incident in which her daughter was briefly taken away from her by authorities.

Investigators also interviewed the 11-year-old girl, who is in sixth grade. The affidavit says she told investigators that her attacker grabbed her hand and told her to “get in the van.” She said he started touching her and pushed Lopez away. The child said she was able to get out of the van, but he grabbed her and pulled her back into the vehicle.

The girl then described to investigators how Lopez had sexually abused her.

Investigators said they went to Lopez’s home on South K Street Friday night to speak with him. When they knocked on his door, investigators said Lopez came out through a window in the back of the house and ran west into an alley.

Investigators spoke to a family member at the suspect’s home who said he knew why Lopez fled “because of what happened yesterday” and said the girl’s mother came to her door and told him.

WPTV

Hermencia Vasquez told WPTV that she was at home when her brother-in-law was accused of sexual assault.

“It was 9 o’clock at night and the lady/mother came to my house and said something happened with her daughter and Marvin,” Vasquez said. “I asked Marvin what he would do if she got pregnant and whether he would be responsible for it, and he said yes, he would be responsible for the child.”

Investigators said Lopez left Guatemala in early January, traveled through Mexico and turned himself in to U.S. Border Patrol. The sheriff’s office said Lopez was given a court date sometime in 2027 and has been released from custody.

According to investigators, he found his way to Florida at the end of January 2024.

In a Monday post on Page X of the sheriff’s office, Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said staff at the Guatemala Maya Center alerted them to the sexual assault.

“Our work in the community has been worth it because we have a good relationship with this center,” Bradshaw said. “We have a lot of people here in Palm Beach County who may or may not be illegal and they become victims. You shouldn’t be afraid to call us. We will not call the Border Patrol if they are victims and have not committed a crime. We will help them.

Bradshaw said Lopez has confessed and will face trial in the United States

“Before he even remotely thinks about being deported, he’s going to spend his time here first,” Bradshaw said.

WPTV

“Courts are overwhelmed”

Why was Lopez given a 2027 court date? Immigration lawyer Richard Hujber said he knows the answer.

“So the courts are certainly overwhelmed, that’s the answer,” Hujber told WPTV.

He said controls at the border were poor.

“They know they’re going to get a hearing date many years from now, and in that time, for example, they can get a driver’s license just with that hearing notice,” Hujber said. “If they apply for asylum, they can also get a work permit, and no one checks whether they have a legitimate asylum application.”

Lopez is charged with kidnapping a minor under 13 and sexual assault.

He is being held without bail at the Palm Beach County Main Jail.