North Carolinians For Immigration Reform and Enforcement (NCFIRE), an activist group, first posted about the arrest of Pedro Rene Paguada on its Facebook page on April 2.
The group said that he was arrested on March 27 on 43 counts of child abuse/sexual act, 45 counts of indecent liberties with a child, three counts of statutory sex offense with a child, two counts of second-degree forcible sex offense, and one count of statutory rape. He was also charged with driving without a license and a traffic offense.
Busted Newspaper, a tabloid that reports on arrests, is the only media outlet that even covered Paguada’s arrest.
According to the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has placed a detainer on Paguada, meaning that he is an illegal alien.
“He does have an immigration hold, yes,” a deputy in the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office told National File.
Cumberland County, home to the city of Fayetteville, is a “sanctuary county” for illegal aliens, meaning that the ICE detainer will not be honored. If Paguada posts bond, which is set at more than $1.1 million, he will be able to walk free while he awaits trial.