U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has lodged detainers for three individuals arrested in late July on charges involving child sex crimes, all currently held at the Middle River Regional Jail in Staunton, Virginia.
The three are Efren Ramirez Escobedo, from Mexico, arrested July 24 and charged with sexual assault involving victims ages 13-14 and forcible intercourse; Santos Bautista-Molina, from Honduras, arrested July 27 and charged with nine counts of child solicitation and attempted sex offense with a child under 15; and Bayron Jose De Paz-Lopez, from Guatemala, arrested July 28 and charged with nine counts of child solicitation and attempted sex offense with a child under 15.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, all three entered the country illegally. Ramirez Escobedo entered at an unknown date and location, Bautista-Molina entered through Texas in September 2005, and De Paz-Lopez entered through Arizona in 2021. DHS noted that De Paz-Lopez had previously been released into the country by federal authorities.