Sheriff says Fond Du Lac suspect entered the U.S. illegally for sexual assault

A 12-year-old girl made a dramatic escape in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, from the vehicle of a suspect who entered the United States illegally from Mexico three years ago and attempted to sexually assault her, the Fond du Lac sheriff says County.

The girl “had just escaped from a vehicle in the area where an adult male bound and blindfolded her assaulted her,” Fond du Lac County Sheriff Ryan F. Waldschmidt said in a news release. “She bravely fought back, freed herself from the suspect and the vehicle and ran to the house to get help.”

“It is alleged that the suspect paid the victim’s mother, whom he knew, to spend time alone with the victim,” he wrote.

“Sheriff’s detectives have determined that the suspect in the attack is a 30- or 31-year-old Nicaraguan (legal identity has yet to be determined due to multiple aliases) who entered the country illegally from Mexico through Texas in October 2021 United States,” he wrote.

“At that time, he was arrested by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers, processed at a federal facility, and released from custody with instructions to follow in accordance with current federal immigration policy,” the release said. “Investigators are still working to determine the immigration status of the victim’s mother. She was also arrested on numerous felony charges related to this incident and both are currently in custody at the Fond du Lac County Jail. Additional arrests may occur once the remainder of the investigation is complete.”

According to Waldschmidt, on Sunday, May 19, 2024, at 12:12 a.m., officers from the Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office were “dispatched to a private residence in the rural town of Oakfield in reference to a report of sexual assault.” The caller was a local resident , who reported that a 12-year-old girl had just shown up at his door looking for help.”

Due to the nature of the allegations, detectives were called in “to continue the investigation, which progressed rapidly over the next 40-plus hours,” the release said.

“Detectives were able to determine the identity and location of the suspect and develop a tactical plan to take him into custody,” Waldschmidt wrote. “The Sheriff’s Office SWAT Team, with assistance from the Fond du Lac Police Department SWAT Team, executed a search warrant at a residence on Marquette Street in the Town of Fond du Lac on Monday evening. During the SWAT operation, the suspect was ultimately taken into custody without incident.”

These investigations are complex and involve “numerous serious potential crimes, including sexual assault of a child, false imprisonment, human trafficking of children, failure to protect a child, and others,” the sheriff wrote.

“The juvenile victim and her siblings were all safely taken into protective custody by Fond du Lac County Human Services,” the release said. “Further details about this case will be released in a criminal complaint when the suspects are criminally charged. The Sheriff’s Office will not make any releases until this time

The Sheriff’s Office was assisted by the following agencies:

Fond du Lac Police Department
Wisconsin Department of Justice – Criminal Investigations Division
Department of Homeland Security
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Fond du Lac Fire/Rescue
North Fond du Lac EMS
Fond du Lac County District Attorney’s Office