A suspected Venezualan gang member who is not a U.S. citizen now has an ICE detainer hold after he was accused of sexually assaulting a juvenile female in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, according to Prairie du Chien Police Chief Kyle Teynor.
The suspect, Alejandro Jose Coronel Zarate, 26 of Venezuela, is believed to be a member of “Tren de Aragua,” a violent Venezuelan gang, Teynor wrote in the Sept. 6 press release. That’s the same gang that sparked massive outrage and headlines after a video emerged showing gang members at an Aurora, Colorado, apartment building.
According to online court records, since 2023, Zarate has been wanted on warrants out of Dane County, where he was charged, but never showed up for court, with a slew of violent crimes.
On Thursday, September 5, 2024, at approximately 12:30 p.m., the Prairie du Chien Police Department in Wisconsin “responded to the 300 block of East Wells Street for a physical disturbance,” the chief’s release says.
“Upon arrival, officers received information that a male suspect had been physically and sexually violent towards an adult female. A female juvenile was also located and found to have been injured during the physical altercation that took place. As a result of the investigation, the male suspect was arrested and taken to the Crawford County Jail,” it notes.
However, he does not come up in the jail’s online database, so no photo was immediately available.
“The suspect was identified as, Alejandro Jose Coronel Zarate, 26 of Venezuela. He was booked into jail for 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. Coronel Zarate also had warrants through Dane County, WI for Strangulation/Suffocation, False Imprisonment, Battery, and Disorderly Conduct,” Teynor wrote.
“Additionally, Coronel Zarate is suspected of having an affiliation with a known violent transnational criminal organization known as ‘Tren de Aragua,’ who are known for a variety of criminal activities, such as homicide, abduction, extortion, drug trafficking, arms/weapons trafficking, human smuggling, and human trafficking (according to the National Gang Intelligence Center & the Department of Homeland Security),” the chief wrote. “The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was notified, and a detainer has been placed on Coronel Zarate, as he 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,” Teynor wrote. “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 offences.”
