Authorities in Fond du Lac investigating complex crime scheme where Nicaraguan national paid for time alone with someone’s daughter

OAKFIELD, Wis. (WFRV) – A Nicaraguan man who illegally entered the United States back in 2021 was taken into custody on Sunday after a 12-year-old girl broke free of his capture and sought help.

According to the Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office, on Sunday, May 19, shortly before 12:15 a.m., deputies were sent to a private residence in the town of Oakfield for a sexual assault complaint.

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The caller was a resident and reported a 12-year-old girl had just shown up at his doorstep and was seeking help. She had reportedly fled from a vehicle in the area where an adult man had bound and blindfolded her and was attempting to assault her.

Bravely, she fought back, broke free from the suspect and vehicle, and ran to the house for help. Due to the nature of the allegations, detectives determined the suspect’s identity and location, and a tactical plan was developed to take him into custody.

During a search warrant on Marquette Street on Monday night, a SWAT team arrested the alleged suspect.

“This investigation is complex and involves numerous serious potential crimes, including sexual assault of a child, false imprisonment, child human trafficking, failure to protect a child, and others,” stated Sheriff Ryan Waldschmidt.

It is alleged that the suspect paid the victim’s mother, whom he knew, in exchange for spending time alone with the victim. Sheriff’s detectives have determined the suspect of the assault is a 30 or 31-year-old Nicaraguan man who entered the United States illegally from Mexico into Texas in October of 2021.

At that time, he was apprehended by US Customs and Border Protection agents, processed at a federal facility, and released from their custody with instructions to follow per current federal immigration policy.

Detectives are still working to determine the immigration status of the victim’s mother. She has been arrested for numerous crimes related to the incident and is currently in custody at the Fond du Lac County Jail.

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The juvenile victim and her siblings have all safely been taken into protective custody. Further details in this case will be released in a criminal complaint when the suspects are formally charged.

No additional details were provided.

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