Rape Trial Stirs Illegal Immigration Debate - Rockville, Maryland (Apr 1, 2017, 4:16:56 AM)

This story is relatively well covered elsewhere, and is thus only summarized here. We have included some links to that material at the bottom of this article.

Henry Sanchez Milian, aged eighteen and Jose Montano, aged seventeen have been criminally charged, as adults, with the alleged rape-in-the-first-degree of a fourteen-year-old female student in a lavatory at Rockville High School, in addition to other charges.

Text messages presented by the defense are claimed to demonstrate that the two suspects were in contact with one another, and that at least one of the suspects was in communication with the alleged victim. The defense claims that the alleged victim was a willing participant in the sexual activity in question.

There is no pursuit of statutory rape charges on the basis of age. The age of consent in Maryland is sixteen, but the law permits, persons aged between fourteen and sixteen to consent to sex as long as the other partner is not more than four years older.

Henry Sanchez Milian and his father, Adolfo Sanchez Reyes, aged forty-three are known to be from Guatemala and to have entered the United States illegally. According to Montgomery County News Henry Sanchez Milian was already detained and released awaiting trial since August, 2016. This delay is typical in such cases and ICE has issued an immigration detainer for him, following his recent arrest. He will be held at least until ICE conducts an immigration review. Adolfo Sanchez Reyes was captured by ICE approximately one week following the incident.

Officials from Montgomery County Public Schools claim to have received numerous phone calls and e-mails, including threats, regarding the incident. Local law enforcement has begun investigating but have no reason to yet conclude that the treats are credible. The school defends its decision to have enrolled him while he awaited his immigration trial.

Other coverage:

Fox News -Video
CNN -Video
Montgomery County News
Fox 6 (WITI) -CNN Wire Service