First ‘stranger rape’ charge in Virginia town in 12 years

A Honduran man faces rape charges after allegedly assaulting a woman on a popular hiking trail. Virginia. Police said this is the first rape of a stranger in the city in the last decade.
31 years old Dennis Humberto Navarette Romero Arrested and charged with lewdness and intent to rape. The victim, who did not know Romero, was attacked at busy Washington and Old Dominion Trails when he allegedly grabbed her arm, forced her to the ground and assaulted her, according to police.
Romero, a Honduran national, was released from prison on November 14 after serving half of a 50-day sentence for indecent exposure.
“In my 12-plus years as police chief, this is the only stranger rape in the city,” Herndon Police Chief Maggie DeBord said at a press conference.
Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin criticized the release of Romero, who is in the US illegally. “I am sorry for this victim and outraged that local Fairfax County officials have recklessly abandoned violent illegal immigrants who should be prosecuted and deported,” he told The Post.
He added, “This is a dereliction of their most basic duty to protect people. Prioritizing violent illegal immigrants over the safety of Fairfax residents is unacceptable,” asserting that Virginia is not a sanctuary state.