A Honduran man faces rape charges after allegedly assaulting a woman on a popular hiking trail in Herndon, Virginia, US. Police said this is the first stranger rape in the town in over a decade.
Denis Humberto Navarette Romero, 31, has been arrested and charged with intent to defile and rape, according to the Herndon police department. The victim, who did not know Romero, was attacked on the busy Washington and Old Dominion Trail when he allegedly grabbed her arm, forced her to the ground, and assaulted her, according to a New York Post report citing police.
“The woman had been walking along the trail after leaving a business in downtown Herndon when she was approached by the suspect.The suspect brazenly grabbed the victim and forced her to the ground, where he proceeded to rape her. The victim was able to fight off the suspect and run away,” said Herndon police chief Maggie DeBoard in a press conference, as quoted by local media FFX Now.
‘This is the only stranger rape we’ve had in the town in my more than 12 years as chief of police,” DeBoard added, as quoted by New York Post.
Before being arrested on rape charges, Romero, originally from Honduras, a country in Central America, was released from jail on November 14 after serving half of a 50-day sentence for indecent exposure.
Virginia governor Glenn Youngkin criticised the release of Romero, who is in the US illegally. He told The Post, “I am heartsick for this victim and outraged that local Fairfax County officials recklessly released violent illegal immigrants who should have been prosecuted and deported.”
Youngkin added, “This is a dereliction of their most basic duty to keep people safe. Prioritizing violent illegal immigrants over the safety of Fairfax residents is unacceptable,” stressing that Virginia is not a sanctuary state.