OAKFIELD (NBC 26) — The Fond du Lac County Sheriff's Office says it's conducting a "complex" investigation that involves potential crimes including child sexual assault, false imprisonment and child human trafficking.
From a press release, the Sheriff's Office says it got a call early Sunday morning about a 12-year-old girl seeking helping in the town Oakfield.
The girl had just escaped from a vehicle in the area where a man had bound and blindfolded her and attempted to assault her, according to investigators.
"Bravely, she was able to fight back, break free from the suspect and vehicle, and ran to the house for help," the Sheriff's Office says.
The Sheriff's Office says detectives were able to find out the location of the suspect, and SWAT teams from the Sheriff's Office and Fond du Lac Police arrested him.
The suspect is a 30 or 31 year old Nicaraguan man who entered the United States from Mexico illegally in 2021, according to the Sheriff's Office. Investigators say they have not yet been able to determine his legal identity.
The Sheriff's Office also says it arrested the girl's mother for multiple crimes related to the incident. The suspect allegedly paid the girl's mother in exchange for spending time alone with victim, according to officials.
Her immigration status, the Sheriff's Office says, is also unclear.
The girl and her siblings are in protective custody, according to the news release.
Authorities say the investigation includes potential crimes including sexual assault of a child, false imprisonment, child human trafficking, failure to protect a child, and others.
