A 19-year-old man has been sentenced to spend seven years in prison before being deported, after pleading guilty to two sexual assault incidents in Arlington.
Melvin Perez-Bonilla was arrested in October and charged in connection to a string of sexual assaults in 2015.
Prosecutors say Perez-Bonilla attacked a 25-year-old woman while she was walking home alone in the Clarendon area early in the morning of July 25, 2015. On the evening Sept. 29, 2015, he attacked a 23-year-old woman who was walking home near Washington-Lee High School.
Perez-Bonilla was sentenced to 20 years in prison, with 13 years suspended. He will be placed on the sex offender registry and will be deported upon serving his sentence, according to a press release.
“The Special Victims Unit and Tactical Unit’s efforts and a strong partnership with the Arlington County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office have resulted in a predator being removed from the streets.” said Deputy Chief Daniel Murray, who heads ACPD’s Criminal Investigations Division. “These horrible offenses and attacks on our community will be relentlessly pursued by our detectives.”
Another sexual assault suspect, Santos Efrain Vasquez-Lopez, is set to go before a grand jury on April 25, according to police.
The full press release from the Arlington County Police Department, after the jump.
A 19 year-old subject was sentenced on Wednesday, April 13, 2016 in the Arlington County Circuit Court to 20 years in prison, with all but 7 years suspended, for his role in multiple sexual assault incidents.
Theophani K. Stamos, Arlington County Commonwealth’s Attorney and M. Jay Farr, Arlington County’s Chief of Police made the announcement following the court appearance.
The initial attack occurred on July 25, 2015 in the 1900 block of N. Scott Street at approximately 1:20 a.m. as the 25 year-old female victim was walking alone in the Clarendon area. A second attack occurred on September 29, 2015 in the 1200 block of N. Quincy Street at approximately 10:20 p.m. as the 23 year-old female victim was walking home. Police were able to confirm the subject’s involvement using DNA analysis.
Melvin Perez-Bonilla was taken into custody in October 2015 and charged with two counts of abduction with the intent to defile. He was denied bond and has been held in the Arlington County Detention Facility. Perez-Bonilla pled guilty on April 13 and was sentenced to 20 years with 13 years suspended. After his release, Perez-Bonilla will be listed on the sex offender registry and will be deported upon serving his sentence.
Arlington County Deputy Chief Daniel J. Murray, Commander of the Criminal Investigations Division said, “The Special Victims Unit and Tactical Unit’s efforts and a strong partnership with the Arlington County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office have resulted in a predator being removed from the streets.” He added, “these horrible offenses and attacks on our community will be relentlessly pursued by our detectives.”
Detective R. Icolari was the lead detective and the case was prosecuted by Commonwealth Attorney Cari Steele.