OPELIKA, Ala. (WRBL) – A 20-year-old man has been extradited and booked into the Lee County Justice Center following an investigation into a reported sexual assault involving a juvenile in Opelika.
Artemio Garcia Perez was taken into custody on April 10, 2025, by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Customs and Border Protection at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport as he attempted to board a flight to Guatemala. He was extradited to Lee County earlier this week and is now being held without bond under Aniah’s Law on a charge of first-degree rape.
According to the Opelika Police Department, detectives began investigating the incident on April 8 after receiving a report of a sexual assault involving a juvenile. Perez, who was reportedly renting a room in the same residence as the juvenile, could not be located during the initial phase of the investigation. A BOLO (Be On the Lookout) was issued for his arrest…