Illegal immigrant wanted in child sex assault

Mario Mendoza

By:Scott McCabe | 11/16/11 8:05 PM

U.S. marshals are searching for an illegal immigrant wanted for sexually assaulting a Silver Spring child over several years.

Twenty-eight-year old Mario Mendoza, who also uses the alias Santos Amaya, was charged in July with the rape of a child who lived in the home he was subletting. Marshals deputies say Mendoza was also wanted for failing to appear on a charge of driving under the influence in Hartfield, Pa.

Mendoza is from Honduras and his very mobile, said Inspector Matt Burke, of the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force. The fugitive may have fled the country, but authorities want to lay the groundwork for the public in case he returns to the communities in Montgomery County and Hartfield.

"This guy is clearly a danger to kids wherever he is and needs to be brought in," said Inspector Matt Burke, of the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force. "We want the Examiner readers to keep their eyes out for Mendoza."

Mendoza is listed as 5-feet-7 and 160 pounds.

Anyone with information can call the task force at 301-489-1717.

Tips from readers of The Washington Examiner have led to the arrest of 35 fugitives in the D.C. area in the past three years, including convicted murderers, kidnappers, pedophiles, rapists and scam artists.

The Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force, run by the U.S. Marshals Service, is composed of 30 federal, state and local agencies from Baltimore to Norfolk. The unit has captured more than 33,000 fugitives since its creation in 2004.

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