U.S. Marshals Arrest Alleged Rapist Sought by Wyoming County Authorities Charges stem from December 27th incident in Meshoppen

January 22, 2010 - U.S. Marshal Michael R. Regan announced today that the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) arrested Nery Adolfo Perez-Duarte in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. This 27-year-old man had been the subject of an intensive search by the U.S. Marshals Service.

During the early morning hours of December 27, 2009, the Meshoppen Police Department responded to a 911 call of a rape victim with serious bodily injuries. The initial investigation focused on a female suffering from a broken leg, a bloody mouth, and a black eye. It was determined that the victim had been punched, beaten, raped, thrown down a set of stairs, and pulled back up the stairs by her hair. The victim was removed from the scene, and treated for complete breaks in her tibia and fibula. The Meshoppen Police Department obtained an arrest warrant against Perez-Duarte. On December 28, the warrant was signed by Magisterial District Judge John J. Hovan in Tunkhannock. It charged Perez-Duarte with the following offenses:

• One count of Rape
• One count of Sexual Assault
• One count of Aggravated Indecent Assault

On December 30, the Meshoppen Police Department requested the assistance of the U.S. Marshals Service to locate and apprehend Perez-Duarte. This fugitive case was adopted by the U.S. Marshals Service’s Fugitive Task Force in the Middle District of Pennsylvania. Because of the nature and circumstances of the charges, as well as the victim’s serious injuries, the matter was given the highest priority.

Shortly after the U.S. Marshals Service began working the case, information was developed on the fugitive’s possible whereabouts in New York City. U.S. Marshals investigated these leads, with negative results.

On January 14, U.S. Marshals in Scranton determined that Perez-Duarte had ties to several cities in Iowa. As a result, an investigative lead was sent to the U.S. Marshals Service’s Fugitive Task Force in the Northern District of Iowa.

During the morning hours of January 21, U.S. Marshals located and arrested Perez-Duarte at a residence in 2100 block of North Towne Lane in Cedar Rapids. The fugitive was taken into custody without incident.

Perez-Duarte, a native of Guatemala, was lodged in the Linn County Jail. He will await court proceedings on the felony charges from Wyoming County and his extradition to Pennsylvania.

U.S. Marshals’ Fugitive Task Force in Scranton, assisted by the Meshoppen Police Department, were relentless in their search for Perez-Duarte. This cooperative effort led to the fugitive’s capture. The concept of all USMS-led fugitive task forces is to seek out and arrest the nation’s most violent offenders.

Additional information about the U.S. Marshals can be found at http://www.usmarshals.gov.