Father of teen accused in rape of Maryland high school girl detained on immigration charges, ICE says
The father of a teenager accused of raping a 14-year-old female student in a bathroom stall at a Maryland high school was arrested by federal authorities who said the man is in the U.S. illegally, officials said.
Adolfo Sanchez-Reyes, 43, is being held at a Maryland detention center and was ordered to appear in immigration court, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Sanchez-Reyes is a citizen of Guatemala.
His son's case garnered national attention this month and was spotlighted by the Trump administration as evidence of the need for stricter immigration laws as local jurisdictions across the country declare themselves "sanctuary cities."
Earlier this month, Henry E. Sanchez-Milian, 18, along with 17-year-old Jose O. Montano, another classmate, approached the student in the hallway at Rockville High School, where Montano asked her to have sex, according to the Montgomery County Police Department.
She told police she refused.
Authorities say Montano then forced the girl into a boy's bathroom, where he and Sanchez-Milian raped her in a stall while she repeatedly told them to stop, according to court records. Both teens were charged with one count of first-degree rape and two counts of first-degree sex offense, records show.
An attorney representing Sanchez-Milian said text messages show the girl was planning a sexual encounter with Montano at the time of the incident.
"Everybody has jumped to an understandable conclusion, but the strong evidence indicates that both young men are innocent," said Andrew Jezic, who is defending Sanchez-Milian. "All parties were willing participants."
Last year, federal immigration authorities detained Sanchez-Milian on suspicion of being in the country illegally and let him go after 12 days, Jezic said.
"ICE investigated Henry thoroughly, found out he had no criminal history, he had no gang ties, he was no threat to the national safety," Jezic said. "He was voluntarily let go by ICE."
Jezic said the teen's father has "zero criminal history" and is "just a very humble hardworking guy." He would not comment on the man's immigration status.
_Los Angeles Times
