YUMA – A previously deported convicted sex offender, Vini Santos-Lopez, was arrested by Border Patrol agents working along the Colorado River on Wednesday afternoon.
According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, agents apprehended two adult males, Santos-Lopez from Guatemala and another man from Mexico, after they crossed illegally into the United States. During processing, agents discovered that the 35-year-old Santos-Lopez is a felon convicted of sexual assault of a minor under 13 in Plainfield, New Jersey, a crime for which he was sentenced to six years in prison.
Santos-Lopez admitted to illegally crossing the border to travel to Chula Vista, Calif. The other man admitted to crossing the border illegally in order to travel to Los Angeles.