A 40-year-old man has been taken into custody after allegedly kidnapping and sexually assaulting a woman in Cameron County, authorities announced.
According to the Cameron County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to a call about an assault at a home in Santa Rosa on August 14. Upon arrival, they spoke to the victim, who reported that Oscar Lauro Martinez had forced her into her vehicle and driven her to a remote location.
The victim alleged that Martinez assaulted her, causing visible injuries, and used a box cutter to cut her clothing and sexually assault her during the kidnapping. Witnesses corroborated the victim’s account of events, and a sexual assault nurse examination yielded evidence of the assault.
Sheriff investigators obtained arrest warrants for Martinez on charges of aggravated kidnapping, aggravated sexual assault, and unauthorized use of a vehicle. The warrants were executed on August 29 by a team of investigators from the Cameron County Sheriff’s Office, the Special Investigations Unit, and the US Marshals Service.
Martinez was taken into custody in Harlingen and transported to the Carrizales Rucker Detention Center, where he is awaiting arraignment. He faces three felony charges: aggravated kidnapping, a first-degree felony; aggravated sexual assault, a first-degree felony; and unauthorized use of a vehicle, a state jail felony.
