WARNING: GRAPHIC
Virginia authorities have apprehended an illegal immigrant from Mexico in connection with the Feb. 29 abduction of a 15-year-old Ohio girl.
The Butler County Sheriff's Office in Ohio on Tuesday reported the arrest of Isauro Garcia Cruz, 43, on warrants for first-degree felony kidnapping, third-degree felony unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, fourth-degree felony gross sexual imposition and first-degree misdemeanor interference with custody.
"The victim in this case is a 15-year-old unaccompanied female from Honduras. She was placed in a sponsor's home in the City of Middletown [Ohio] by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services [HHS]," the Butler County Sheriff's Office said in a Facebook post. "Her sponsor is also an illegal immigrant and was the girlfriend of the suspect Garcia Cruz."
Federal and local authorities on Monday located the missing teenager on the 1200 block of Burnbridge Road in the Forest area of Bedford County, Virginia, hundreds of miles from her home in Ohio.
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The Butler County Sheriff’s Office continues to investigate the case and is working to determine if the minor was a victim of human trafficking.
"It's so tough when these kids come across the border by themselves, no parents, no guardians, boys, girls," Sheriff Richard Jones told Fox News Digital, adding that the victim may have been 14 years old when she crossed the border alone.
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The victim was initially placed with her sponsor in Middletown but was then placed in her own apartment by herself. After she moved into the apartment, Garcia Cruz "still hangs with her, stays with her, has sex with her," Jones said. His office received a tip about the suspect, which prompted an investigation.
Eventually, Butler County tracked the suspect and victim to a hotel in Virginia and contacted local authorities to apprehend Garcia Cruz. A government organization has since placed the victim with another family.
"When you're 15 years old … you're not even driving," Jones said, "and some 43-year-old man who's here illegally hooks up with you."
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The Butler County sheriff has been to the border three times, and he said the migrant crisis makes him "angry." Jones recalled the 2005 case of a 9-year-old Butler County girl who was riding her bike when she was coerced into following Alfredo Lopez Cruz, an illegal immigrant from Mexico, into a vacant home, where he raped her and then sent her to walk home alone without any clothes on. The suspect fled to Mexico, but authorities were able to track him down and extradite him to the United States in 2011.
"Every state right now is a border state. I don't care where you live," Jones said, noting that the fentanyl crisis is another example of how the border crisis is impacting American livelihood.
Garcia Cruz "had additional pending warrants for aggravated sexual battery of a minor relating to a separate incident," the Bedford County Sheriff's Office in Virginia stated in a Facebook post.
The suspect is being held at the Blue Ridge Regional Jail Authority on a fugitive from justice warrant, as well as an additional contributing to a minor warrant from Bedford County. The case remains an active investigation.
News of Garcia Cruz's arrest came after Virginia authorities on Feb. 22 arrested a 32-year-old illegal immigrant from Venezuela in connection with the sexual assault of a minor.
The Campbell County Sheriff's Office arrested Renzo Mendoza Montes 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.
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The two alleged criminal incidents involving noncitizen suspects have been highlighted amid a recent Tuesday MSNBC segment, when panelists suggested immigration should not be a topic of concern for Virginia voters.
Panelists including MSNBC hosts Rachel Maddow, Joy Reid and former Biden White House press secretary Jen Psaki laughed after Psaki said she lives in Northern Virginia, where "immigration was the number one issue" for voters.
"Well, Virginia does have a border with West Virginia," Maddow said, as others on the panel laughed.
The clip has sparked outrage among pundits and voters who do feel illegal immigration is an important issue ahead of the 2024 presidential election.
"Those people live in gated communities. … This is no laughing matter. It happens all over the country," Sheriff Jones said of the MSNBC clip, adding that "they're spitting in victims' faces."
Fox News' Chris Pondolfo, David Rutz and Jeffrey Clark contributed to this report.
