PRAIRIE DU CHIEN, Wis. (AP) — A Venezuelan man with alleged ties to a violent transnational criminal organization was arrested Thursday after a physical and sexual assault in Prairie du Chien, police said.
Pririe du Chien is a small town in Wisconsin with a population of only 5400 people.
The Prairie du Chien Police Department responded to a disturbance in the 300 block of East Wells Street around 12:30 p.m., where officers found evidence that a male suspect had been physically and sexually violent toward an adult female. A female juvenile was also injured during the altercation, according to police.
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The suspect, identified as Alejandro Jose Coronel Zarate, 26, of Venezuela, was arrested and taken to the Crawford County Jail. He faces charges of Domestic Disorderly Conduct, two counts of Domestic Battery, Strangulation/Suffocation, Physical Abuse to a Child, Disorderly Conduct, and two counts of 2nd Degree Sexual Assault. Police said Coronel Zarate also had warrants in Dane County, Wisconsin, for Strangulation/Suffocation, False Imprisonment, Battery, and Disorderly Conduct.
Authorities believe Coronel Zarate is affiliated with “Tren de Aragua,” a known violent transnational criminal organization involved in various crimes, including homicide, abduction, extortion, drug trafficking, arms trafficking, human smuggling, and human trafficking, according to the National Gang Intelligence Center and the Department of Homeland Security. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was notified, and a detainer has been placed on Coronel Zarate, who is not a U.S. citizen.
“Mr. Coronel Zarate was brought to Prairie du Chien from the Dane County area. The victims in this case knew Mr. Coronel Zarate; this was not a random event,” Prairie du Chien Police Chief Kyle Teynor said. “This incident highlights the need to be aware of the dangers that affiliates of these transnational criminal organizations pose to our communities. Violence towards others, no matter the circumstances, cannot be tolerated in our community. Our agency remains committed to holding violent actors accountable for their criminal offenses.”