A former Valparaiso man has been arrested for child molesting, the La Porte County Sheriff’s Office announced Sunday.
On September 18, 2021, Deputy Scott Lanoue responded to a residence located in rural Springfield Township regarding a sex offense involving a juvenile. A follow-up investigation was assigned to the Criminal Investigations Division, with Detective Gabe Struss as the lead investigator.
The investigation identified 30 year-old Alexander E. Perez formerly of Valparaiso, Indiana.
On October 19, 2021, Detective Struss presented the findings of his investigation to La Porte County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Elizabeth Boehm. The following day, an arrest warrant was issued for Perez for the offense of Child Molesting.
Following the issuance of the arrest warrant, the Fugitive Apprehension Street Team (FAST) comprised of LCSO Sergeants Brett Swanson and Keith Wilson along with Corporal Nick Krause of the Michigan City Police Department, launched a supplemental investigation to determine the whereabouts of Perez. Their investigation determined Perez had fled to Mexico.
FAST members, having “special deputation” status with the US Marshals Service, began an investigative search for Perez in Mexico.
In early December of 2021, FAST, working in partnership with the US Marshals Service as well as numerous other federal agencies, both US and Mexico based, located and arrested Perez in Mexico City.
Perez was transferred to the San Diego California County Jail and held there on the LCSO arrest warrant.
On April 22, 2022, Perez was returned to La Porte County and booked into the La Porte County Jail (LCJ) and remains housed in the LCJ on a $100,000 cash-only bond through Superior Court I.