A man facing life in prison — wanted in Santa Barbara for aggravated sexual assault and forcible rape — was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers Monday in Hyattsville, Maryland, where he had been living.
Santos Guevara-Oliva, 33, is in Maryland awaiting extradition to Santa Barbara. The 13-year-old victim, believed to be his stepdaughter, was determined to be 17 weeks pregnant after she was taken to Cottage Hospital, prosecutor Benjamin Ladinig said recently. His office filed charges February 1.
Guevara-Oliva was convicted of grand theft and false imprisonment in 2009, and sentenced to two years in state prison. After his sentence, he was deported to his native country of El Salvador.
But he returned illegally, according to authorities, and that’s when the alleged sexual assault occurred. After an investigation, authorities determined Guevara-Oliva to be in the Baltimore/Washington, D.C., area.
His arrest was the culmination of efforts by the Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Department, District Attorney’s office, Maryland State Police, and federal ICE officers.