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An arrest warrant was issued in a Sept. 22 sexual assault case on the Edinburg campus, but the suspect is believed to be in Mexico, UTRGV’s police chief says.
“The update to the case is we have an active warrant for the suspect,” Chief Adan Cruz said in an interview with The Rider last Friday. “The warrant was issued out of the municipal court in Edinburg. … It was issued on the 23 of September 2021 for the offense of sexual assault. It is a second-degree felony.”
At 3:42 p.m. Sept. 22, the UTRGV Police Department received a report of a sexual assault in the Heritage Hall dormitory on the Edinburg campus, according to a timely warning that was issued the same day. The victim reported that she was sexually assaulted between 2 and 3 p.m. Aug. 20 while the suspect was visiting her in her dormitory. The suspect is known and has been identified, according to the timely warning.
The suspect is a Hispanic male, 5 feet, 8 inches in height, 150 pounds, with black hair, brown eyes and a light complexion.
Asked for the name of the suspect, Cruz replied that he would not release it at this time “because of our status as part of higher education.”
“There’s some rules that we normally work under,” he said. “I will not release his name at this time.”
The Rider asked if the suspect is a UTRGV student and his age. Cruz replied that he could not comment any further at this time.
“So, our suspect is believed to be residing in Mexico,” the police chief said. “So, we’re currently working closely with law enforcement, with our law enforcement partners to try and make an arrest. But it’s kind of hard. We do not believe that he is in the country. So, that being said, that’s really all I have, as far as [an] update. But I just wanted to let the community know that the offense was actively investigated, the suspect was identified, a warrant was issued, but he has not turned himself in and we do not believe that he is in the country.”
Cruz said he wanted the university community to know that the police department is actively investigating this sexual assault case and anther report of sexual assault for the campus’ safety.
“We did have results in the investigation when it comes to filing criminal charges,” Chief Cruz said. “It’s just that we have not been able to make an arrest.”
The Rider also asked for updates on other cases, including a sexual assault on Sept. 17, an indecent assault on Sept. 14 and an assault by contact on Sept. 15. All of the incidents took place on the Edinburg campus.
Cruz said there were no updates on those cases.
