Illegal immigrant repeat offender arrested for rape — just days after his early release from jail for indecent exposure



An illegal immigrant repeat offender was arrested for rape last week in northern Virginia — just days after his early release from jail for indecent exposure, WTTG-TV reported.

Herndon Police said they arrested Denis Humberto Navarette Romero, 31 — who has no fixed address — for abduction with intent to defile and rape in connection with an incident that occurred on the night of Nov. 18 on the W&OD Trail between Ferndale Avenue and Grace Street.

'It's frustrating because I tell the community you should feel safe here ...'

Police believe Romero had other victims, WTTG reported, adding the he's been described as a repeat offender with a "troubling history."

A Honduran national in the United States illegally, Romero has a documented history of sexual assaults and indecent exposures in the region dating back to 2022, the station said, citing Herndon Police Chief Maggie DeBoard.

Romero has been arrested and released multiple times, WTTG said, adding that he choked a Herndon police officer in June 2022 amid a response to a groping incident.

DeBoard said Romero was charged with felony assault on a law enforcement officer in connection with the incident, but the Fairfax County commonwealth's attorney downgraded the charge to simple assault — a misdemeanor, the station reported.

"I mean he literally tried to get his hands around our officer's neck trying to choke him, so we don't understand that one," DeBoard noted, WTTG said.

The commonwealth's attorney did not explain the decision to downgrade the charges but told WTTG that Romero was prosecuted for the incident and served jail time as a result.

Romero was taken into custody Oct. 19 for indecent exposure and sentenced to 50 days behind bars, but the station said he was released 25 days early — on Nov. 14 — because of Virginia's "good behavior law."

Four days later, Romero was arrested for raping a woman on the Washington and Old Dominion Trail in Herndon, WTTG said.

The woman who filed the October indecent exposure report — Jennifer Pugh — spoke to the station about what she witnessed.

"He kept coming trying to grab my dog. Then he was trying to come after me; he was saying stuff. He didn't speak English, and then all of a sudden he started pulling his stuff out," Pugh recounted to WTTG. "I said, ‘There's Ring cameras all around, you know,’ and he didn't care."

The station said Immigration and Customs Enforcement has not yet confirmed whether it was notified of Romero's illegal presence in the U.S. following these incidents.

WTTG said the Fairfax County Sheriff's Office took him into custody after both incidents. The sheriff's office website says its policy is that "ICE is notified every time an undocumented immigrant is taken into our custody."

DeBoard told the station, "It's frustrating because I tell the community you should feel safe here, and I do believe they are safe here, I truly do, but when you have cases like this, I look at this and see if some part of the system … if it was all working together, if there was a way to make it work, this would never have happened. I don't think you can point the finger at any one place to blame because it's a conglomerate of problems."

The sheriff said Fairfax County Adult Detention Center inmates are fingerprinted, and those prints are transferred to the commonwealth, which then submits them to federal law enforcement agencies, WTTG noted.

“This is the only stranger rape that we have had in the town in my more than 12 years as chief of police,” DeBoard in a press conference Tuesday about Romero, according to the New York Post.

Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin blasted local officials for allowing Romero's release instead of turning him over to ICE and deporting him, the paper noted.

Police told WTTG that Romero is being held at the adult detention center without bond.

You can view a video report here about the situation.

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Super Bowl champion Chiefs sign punter Matt Araiza after female dropped rape suit against him; accusation cost him 2 seasons



The Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs have signed punter Matt Araiza after a female dropped a rape lawsuit against him in December. The Buffalo Bills cut Araiza days after the suit was filed in August 2022 — his rookie season — and he's been out of the NFL ever since. He's always maintained his innocence.

"I am proud and honored to sign a contract with the @Chiefs," Araiza said in a statement released through his agent, ESPN reported. "I am thrilled to be able to continue my NFL career. I want to thank my family, who have been my rock and my many friends who have been unwavering in their support. I am excited to begin the next phase of my career with the Super Bowl Champs!"

Chiefs punter Tommy Townsend is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent in March, ESPN said, adding that Townsend was a first-team All-Pro and chosen for the 2022 Pro Bowl.

What's the background?

Araiza was nicknamed “the Punt God” at San Diego State, where he averaged 51.19 yards per punt during the 2021 college season, an NCAA single-season record, the Buffalo News said, adding that he won the Ray Guy Award as the nation’s best college punter.

Araiza appeared to have won the punting job during the Buffalo Bills' 2022 training camp, but the team cut him two days after the rape accusation. Araiza had signed a four-year contract with the Bills that would have been worth $3.8 million had he played all four years of the deal, the Buffalo News said. Araiza ended up missing the 2022 and 2023 seasons.

The San Diego District Attorney's Office concluded that Araiza could not have been part of the alleged gang rape of a 17-year-old in October 2021 because he left the off-campus party at least an hour before the incident allegedly occurred. While Araiza said he and his accuser had consensual sex outside the house earlier in the evening, he said he never entered the home, ESPN noted, adding that the district attorney's office couldn't prove Araiza knew the accuser's age or intoxication level. Prosectors announced in December 2022 that they wouldn't press any criminal charges against Araiza. San Diego State University said in May there were no findings against Araiza after investigating allegations of rape and gang rape, ESPN also said.

In conjunction with his accuser — called Jane Doe — dropping her lawsuit against him, Araiza agreed to dismiss a defamation suit against her filed in July 2023, ESPN said in a separate report.

Araiza's lawyers, Dick Semerdjian and Kristen Bush, said in a statement that Araiza always has maintained his innocence and that he will never get back the time spent defending himself from the accusations, ESPN added.

"Thankfully, there was extensive evidence that was key to securing Matt's voluntary dismissal from this lawsuit," the statement said, according to ESPN. "Matt was and has always been innocent. The case is over, and Matt has prevailed."

Bills took different approach with different player

About a week before the rape lawsuit against Araiza was dismissed, Bills general manager Brandon Beane said linebacker Von Miller — accused of assaulting his pregnant girlfriend — was available to play in a game against the Chiefs while the legal process proceeded.

"We only have so many of the facts," Beane said in a press conference in regard to Miller. "If you look around this country, you see plenty of rushes to judgment. ... We're just trying to do the right thing."

— (@)

In regard to the Bills releasing Araiza days after the rape accusation, Beane at the time said it “was the best move for everyone to move on from Matt and let him take care of this situation," the Buffalo News reported.

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Prosecutors indicate that Bills punter whose life was ruined over rape accusation went home long before incident allegedly occurred



A pro football player accused of rape had his career upended and life ruined over something prosecutors now indicate he could not possibly have done.

Matt Araiza was a top punter in the NFL whose record-breaking NCAA career secured him the nickname "Punt God." Last summer, Araiza was accused along with two San Diego State University football players of gang-raping a 17-year-old at an off-campus party in 2021.

The Los Angeles Times reported that Araiza was accused of having sex with the minor outside the home and then bringing her inside, where she was allegedly repeatedly raped for over an hour.

While the then-high school senior reported slipping in and out of consciousness, she claimed to remember moments of various men violating her.

A civil lawsuit was filed in August 2022 accusing Araiza, Zavier Leonard, and Nowlin Ewaliko of taking part in the alleged rape.

At the time, Araiza's lawyer, Kerry Armstrong, said the complaint was "a shakedown because he's now with the Buffalo Bills," stressing that there was "no doubt" Araiza was innocent.

Notwithstanding the punter's profession of innocence, the accusation marked the end of Araiza's career.

The Buffalo Bills, who had recently drafted him, cut him loose just days after the suit was filed amid media outrage.

"We have released Punter Matt Araiza," the NFL team said in a statement. "This afternoon, we decided that releasing Matt Araiza was the best thing to do. Our culture in Buffalo is more important than winning football games."

General manager Brandon Beane and coach Sean McDermott addressed the matter at a press conference, calling it "tough" for everyone involved, reported ABC News.

"It's been tough. And you know, we sympathize with this whole situation, all the parties involved, this young woman, what she went through, you know, you really feel bad for that whole situation. And, you know, ultimately this is a legal situation. We don't know, you know, all the facts," said Beane.

Araiza's lawyer Armstrong released a statement following the Bills' decision, writing, "I have not talked to Matt about this yet, but I sent him a text. I am sure he is very upset and disappointed that his career with the Bills ended not because he played poorly, but because of false allegations leveled against him by a young lady and her attorney. I hope he is back in the NFL soon. He deserves to be, as he is the hardest-working 22-year-old I know."

The 22-year-old punter said, "The facts of the incident are not what they are portrayed in the lawsuit or in the press. I look forward to quickly setting the record straight."

Yahoo Sports reported that the San Diego Police looked into the matter for nearly 10 months before forwarding the case to the San Diego District Attorney's Office without a recommendation for prosecution.

Following a 124-day investigation of their own, prosecutors announced on Dec. 7, 2022, that they would not press any criminal charges.

This week, Yahoo Sports provided detail concerning a newly revealed 200-plus page transcript of a 100-minute meeting in which San Diego Deputy District Attorney Trisha Amador explained the matter to the accuser and her attorneys.

In the explanation, the SDDA concluded Araiza could not have led the girl into the alleged rape because he had left the home at 12:30 a.m., at least an hour before the incident supposedly occurred.

"He wasn’t even at the party any more," said Amador. "All I know is that at that point, suspect Araiza is gone from the party."

Extra to highlighting how Araiza was not even present, the prosecutors explained to the accuser that it was unclear whether a gang rape had even occurred in the first place, as intermittent video recordings of the incident raised the possibility she may have just had consensual sex with the other men.

"In looking at the videos on the sex tape, I absolutely cannot prove any forcible sexual assault based upon what happened," said Amador.

The timestamped video evidence also reportedly substantiated witness claims that Araiza was not present.

According to additional witness interviews, the accuser and some high school friends "let themselves in through a back gate" and joined the party, telling people they were 18.

"A witness who was in the house gave a statement saying that at — at least one point in the party, that you made a statement telling people at the party you were 18," Amador told the accuser. "Another witness at the party, a different one, says that they specifically heard you say you were 18."

Amador indicated that the sexual encounter the accuser had earlier in the night with Araiza — who may have been led to believe she was 18 — appears to have been consensual.

"The witnesses say … that shortly after you arrived at the party, you left and came back shortly thereafter," said Amador. "And you told [a friend], 'I just had sex.' ... You didn’t appear unhappy. You appeared to be having fun and that the encounter on the side of the house with Matt, suspect Araiza, was consensual."

Amador further explained to the accuser that another witness explained that around that time, "You were approaching men at the party saying, 'I want you to [expletive] me and if you don’t [expletive] me you’re a [expletive].'"

In the lead-up to the alleged rape, Amador also indicated the accuser was not intoxicated as the civil suit otherwise suggests.

The accuser's attorney released a statement obtained by Outkick, writing, "Team Araiza continues to litigate the case in the media because they know the information they’re leaking has no relevance whatsoever to the lawsuit. Matt Araiza will dress up in a suit and tie for tv crews at a meaningless court hearing, but he won’t speak to the media like Jane Doe has and will continue to do."

Yahoo Sports indicated that Araiza, whose life was ruined by the apparently dubious accusations, hopes the NFL may consider bringing him back, even though the civil suit remains active.

Following the revelation that Araiza may be a man traduced, Dave Portnoy tweeted, "This is crazy. Guys life was ruined on rape accusations that he has always denied and now it comes out he wasn't even at the party when the alleged crime took place. The acquittal should be as loud if not louder than the accusations.'

Conservative commentator Mat Walsh responded, "False rape accusers should receive the same penalty that we give to rapists. Instead, in the vast majority of cases, they receive no penalty at all and are free to move on like nothing happened. It's unconscionable."

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Mother of 13-year-old alleged rape victim is charged with helping 35-year-old accused rapist avoid arrest



The Washington state mother of a 13-year-old alleged rape victim was charged last week with helping the 35-year-old accused rapist avoid arrest.

What are the details?

The accused rapist was arrested last week on eight felony sexual abuse charges in relation to two 2021 incidents during which he allegedly raped a 13-year-old girl, the Chronicle reported.

The girl’s 34-year-old mother also was arrested last week for first-degree rendering criminal assistance for allegedly helping the man avoid arrest, the paper said, adding that both adults live in Centralia, which is about 90 minutes south of Seattle.

The Chronicle said it wasn't naming the defendants in order to protect the victim's identity.

Police began investigations on Feb. 2, 2021, after responding to a Centralia address for an unrelated dispute, and the alleged victim said she'd been raped, the paper said, citing court documents.

Law enforcement sent the victim’s clothing to a crime lab, which located semen on the crotch of her pants, the Chronicle said. The crime lab on March 24, 2022, said "lab results revealed strong support” for the accused man contributing to the fluid, the paper reported, citing court documents.

Police tried to contact the accused man on May 24, “but no one came to the door despite loud and extended knocking,” the paper said, citing court documents. Officers returned to the residence the next day, and the female defendant answered the door, the paper said.

When she was told of probable cause to arrest the accused man and asked to have him come outside, the woman reportedly “advised that he had been gone for a ‘while’ and that she did not know where” he was, the paper reported.

The woman allegedly said she was home when police knocked the day before but claimed she'd been "sleeping and didn’t hear the knocks, despite the fact that neighbors in the building could hear the knocking,” the paper said, citing court documents.

After several more unsuccessful attempts to locate the accused man at the address, police on Thursday morning “knocked on the door of the residence extensively and loudly, rang the doorbell rapidly on many occasions, announced police and specifically yelled for both [the male and female defendant] to come to the door, but no one answered,” the paper said, citing court documents.

A number of neighbors reportedly told officers they had seen the accused man staying with the woman at the residence, the paper said. They also said he would depart the address “mostly at night to avoid being detected," the paper said, citing court documents.

The property manager later told police he'd informed the woman several times over the last few months that the man in question “was not to be living there," the paper said.

Caught

Around noon Oct. 6, a neighbor told officers the accused man was in a vehicle heading south toward Harrison Avenue — after which officers stopped the vehicle and found the man in the back seat and the woman in the front passenger seat, the paper said, citing court documents.

The man and woman were arrested and booked into the Lewis County Jail, the paper said, adding that the man's bail was set at $250,000 and the woman's bail was set at $25,000.

Of the eight felony charges against the man, two carry maximum penalties of life in prison, four carry maximum penalties of 10 years in prison, and two carry maximum penalties of five years in prison, the paper said.

As for the woman, first-degree rendering criminal assistance carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, the paper said.

Arraignments for both adults are scheduled for Thursday, the paper said.