Border Patrol arrests convicted sex offender at Highway 86 checkpoint
Border Patrol agents arrested a previously deported Guatemalan citizen with a rape conviction at the Highway 86 immigration checkpoint near the Salton Sea.
The arrest happened on Dec. 4 at around 11:20 p.m.
According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, a red SUV approached the Border Patrol checkpoint. Agents sent the vehicle to secondary inspection for further investigation when the passenger raised the agents’ suspicion.
Agents used law enforcement databases to identify the passenger as a Guatemalan citizen illegally present in the U.S. Additional records revealed the man was convicted of child rape in 2014 in Indianapolis. He was subsequently deported in 2017.
Authorities said the man was arrested again in June 2023 while attempting to illegally enter the U.S. as part of a maritime smuggling event near San Clemente, California. At that time, he was sentenced to six months incarceration for illegal re-entry of a convicted felon.
“This arrest of an undocumented child rapist represents a prime example of how important our Border Patrol agents are in saving lives and sanity,” said El Centro Sector Chief Patrol Agent Gregory Bovino. “The Indio Border Patrol agent working the checkpoint that day may have well prevented harm to another child. Lord have mercy, but I stay up thinking about things like this – good job to our Border Patrol agent.”
The man was arrested and placed into removal proceedings and will be removed to Guatemala. The driver and vehicle were released.
