ARECIBO — An Ohio man accused of raping a 16-year-old girl was arrested by U.S. Marshals in Puerto Rico Thursday afternoon.
Juan David Perez, 45, had been wanted by the Mahoning County Sheriff’s Office since May 20 for several counts of rape and sexual battery.
Perez is accused of raping the girl at an Austintown, Ohio home on December 14, 2019. Assistant Prosecutor Jennifer McLaughlin said Perez took advantage of the victim because she was impaired by alcohol.
Ohio investigators found out that Perez was hiding in Arecibo, Puerto Rico, about an hour west of San Juan.
Perez will remain in a Puerto Rico jail until he is extradited back to Mahoning County, near Youngstown, Ohio — a notorious crime haven.
“The reach of the Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force is far, and our investigators will never let distance between them, and violent fugitives get in their way of bringing justice to these victims,” U.S. Marshall Pete Elliot said.