Convicted Rapist Caught Near Portero Re-Entering Country: Border Patrol

PORTERO, CA: A man apprehended by U.S. Border Patrol agents Monday night near Portero turned out to be a convicted rapist who is now facing additional charges for allegedly re-entering the U.S. as a prior deportee.

Shortly after 8 p.m., agents spotted the man crossing the border about five miles east of the Tecate Port of Entry, according to a news release.

"The agents responded to the area and located the man, who was hidden in thick brush about one-half mile north of the international boundary," a San Diego Sector Border Patrol spokesperson said.

The 28-year-old man — whose identity was not disclosed — reportedly admitted to agents that he was a Mexican national illegally in the U.S.

He was arrested and taken to a nearby processing facility, where through a records check, agents learned the man had been sentenced to three years in prison for a 2011 rape conviction in the Northern California city of Santa Rosa.

The man was surrendered to the custody of the Department of Homeland Security pending the new federal charges expected to be filed against him.

“Our Border Patrol agents did a great service to our communities by preventing this previously convicted felon from entering the United States,” said Chief Patrol Agent Richard Barlow.

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