Illegally arrested in the city’s first ‘stranger rape’ in twelve years

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An illegal immigrant from Honduras has been charged with raping a woman in Virginia – just days after being released from prison on another sex crime charge.

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Denis Humberto Navarette Romero, 31, was accused of raping a woman on a hiking trail in Herndon, Virginia, just outside Washington, DC, on November 18.

It was the first assault of its kind there in more than a decade, authorities said.

“This is the only stranger rape we’ve had in the city in the 12-plus years I’ve been chief of police,” Herndon Police Chief Maggie DeBoard said at a news conference.

Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin blasted officials for releasing Romero back into the community instead of turning him over to authorities for deportation.

“I am heartbroken for this victim and outraged that local Fairfax County officials are recklessly releasing violent illegal immigrants who should have been prosecuted and deported,” Youngkin told the newspaper. New York Post.

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“This is a violation of their most fundamental duty to protect people,” he continued. “It is unacceptable to prioritize violent illegal immigrants over the safety of Fairfax residents.”

According to police, Romero has a long criminal record that goes back years.

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He was released four days before his arrest after serving only half of his 50-day sentence for indecent exposure for “good behavior,” authorities said. After reported.

The victim said she was on the busy walking path when Romero grabbed her arm, forced her to the ground and raped her just before 9 p.m.

A bystander called police who arrived on the scene where Romero was quickly arrested.

“What is disturbing is the number of times this person has been arrested and released,” the police chief told reporters.

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“He has continued to reoffend and his behavior has escalated to rape in a very public space.”

Romero’s first reported crime occurred in 2018, when he fondled a 14-year-old girl.

An investigation was launched and Fairfax County investigators learned he also exposed himself to a 10- and 13-year-old in 2017, according to police records obtained by police. Washingtonpost.

However, Romero was not arrested until 2022 when he choked a Herndon officer who was called to the scene of a local restaurant where the illegally spanked a woman’s buttocks.

He was charged with a crime against a law enforcement officer, but the charge was downgraded to a misdemeanor by Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorneys in exchange for a guilty plea.

The Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office says it notifies ICE every time they arrest an undocumented person, but the department’s attorney told the Washingtonpost that the agency never received a warrant or arrest warrant in the four times Romero was in their custody.

Romero is currently in jail awaiting a preliminary hearing on charges of intent to defile and rape.

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