The Hallowell Police Department arrested and charged a Mexican citizen who had overstayed his visa in connection with an alleged sexual assault early Saturday morning.
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Hallowell Police Chief Christopher Giles told the Portland Press Herald that officers from his department arrested Mexican citizen Zuniga Balderas, 33, who also uses the alias Javier, at around 1:00 a.m.
Police arrested Balderas following an alleged sexual assault against a 25-year-old woman that reportedly took place on Hallowell’s Front Street outside a former nightclub.
After the arrest, federal immigration authorities informed Giles that Balderas was a Mexican citizen who had overstayed a work visa and was therefore in the U.S. illegally.
He was reportedly living in Augusta and working illegally as a roofer, and he had a temporary driver’s license issued in Georgia.
Balderas now faces charges of gross sexual assault and unlawful sexual conduct and was held without bail on the criminal charges.
Federal authorities were also reportedly holding Balderas under “no release” status due to the alleged immigration violation.
Balderas does not appear to be currently in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody. A search for Balderas, both under his real name and alias, on ICE’s online detainee lookup website on Tuesday yielded no results.
