Immigration officials have revealed that the man accused of raping a woman near a Forest Park bus stop last Saturday has been removed from the country five times.
This is more than police had previously thought.
German Matthews, originally from Nicaragua, was first caught by the border patrol in Laredo, Texas in 2005 and voluntarily returned.
In 2012, he was arrested for sexual battery, but prosecutors did not pursue a conviction.
He was held by jail officials for immigration, and seven months later, he was deported to Nicaragua.
He has been deported three times by Customs and Border Protection in 2016 and 2017.
Matthews’ bond has been set at $400,000, and if he posts it, he can walk free until trial.
Immigration officials have filed an immigration detainer, but the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office says that it is meaningless without a separate warrant signed by a judge.
The community is left wondering what will happen to Matthews while he awaits trial.
