OPELIKA, Ala. (WRBL) - A 20-year-old man has been extradited and booked into the Lee County Justice Center following an investigation into a reported sexual assault involving a juvenile in Opelika.
Artemio Garcia Perez was taken into custody on April 10, 2025, by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Customs and Border Protection at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport as he attempted to board a flight to Guatemala. He was extradited to Lee County earlier this week and is now being held without bond under Aniah’s Law on a charge of first-degree rape.
According to the Opelika Police Department, detectives began investigating the incident on April 8 after receiving a report of a sexual assault involving a juvenile. Perez, who was reportedly renting a room in the same residence as the juvenile, could not be located during the initial phase of the investigation. A BOLO (Be On the Lookout) was issued for his arrest.
On April 9, Perez’s brother, Jose Luis Maldonado Perez, was arrested and charged with hindering prosecution in the first degree. Authorities allege he attempted to help his brother evade arrest.
Police say immigration detainers have been placed on both brothers. An immigration detainer is a tool used by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials when the agency identifies potentially deportable individuals who are held in jails or prisons nationwide.
Due to the sensitive nature of the case and out of concern for the victim’s privacy and age, Opelika Police have asked specific details about the assault not be released publicly.
Perez remains in custody at the Lee County Justice Center and will appear before a judge for a bond hearing.
WRBL News 3 will continue to follow this developing story.
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