A Douglas County judge set bail at $500,000 for a former Omahan who skipped town in 2017 after being charged with first-degree sexual assault of a minor.
Gabino Vargas-Perez, 26, is a legal immigrant from Guatemala who fled Nebraska after he was charged in the rape of a 14-year-old girl in Omaha. He was taken into custody Feb. 16 by the U.S. Marshals Service in Houston, according to Montgomery County, Texas, jail records.
Vargas-Perez
He appeared at a bail hearing in Douglas County on Friday and was ordered to pay 10% of the bail amount, $50,000, to be released from jail. When he was charged in 2017 with sexually assaulting the girl, his bail was set at $50,000. Someone paid 10% — $5,000 — and Vargas-Perez failed to appear at a preliminary hearing.
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At the time he was charged, Vargas-Perez was a 20-year-old former Central High School student. The girl told police that she met Vargas-Perez in fall 2016 and that he told her he was 16.
Vargas-Perez, who is listed in Douglas County Jail records as being 5 feet tall and 130 pounds, asked her to come home with him to meet his family. He took her upstairs and raped her, the girl told police.
Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine said in 2017 that ICE officials told prosecutors that Vargas-Perez was legally in the country. Kleine said then that he didn’t know the nature of that status — whether it was because he has a work visa or another form of documentation.
Court documents indicate that Vargas-Perez, then age 16 or 17, had suffered “neglect and abandonment by his parents.” So he fled Guatemala for the United States, the court document said.
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Four years ago: Photos, videos from catastrophic flooding in Nebraska
Flooding in Nickerson, 3.13
Floodwaters from Maple Creek spilled over Nebraska 91, blocking vehicle and train traffic in March near Nickerson.
Flooding in Wahoo, 3.13
Floodwaters from Cottonwood Creek spill over Nebraska 92 on Wednesday near the intersection with U.S. 77 west of Wahoo.
Flooding in Nickerson, 3.13
Rising water spills over the banks of Maple Creek as seen from a bridge near Nickerson on Wednesday.
Flooding in Ashland Area, 3.14
Floodwaters swarm over city of Lincoln wellfields northeast of Ashland on Thursday.
Flooding in Ashland Area, 3.14
Floodwaters move toward the edge of U.S. 6 northeast of Ashland on Thursday. The Platte is not expected to crest at Louisville until late Saturday night, and it is forecast to stay above flood level until late Monday or early Tuesday.
Flooding, Ashland
Mary Roncka and her husband Gene Roncka, accompanied by neighbor Kevin Mandina, are evacuated as floodwaters rise Thursday near Ashland.
Flooding, Hooper
Water floods a street Wednesday in Hooper.
Flooding, 3.14
Water covers the road Thursday northeast of Wahoo.
Flooding, 3.14
After the water receded at Emerson Estates Thursday afternoon, it revealed a home moved from its foundation.
Flooding, 3.14
Floodwaters at Emerson Estates near Inglewood swallowed a pickup and RV.
Flooding, 3.14
A truck is partially submerged in water at Emerson Estates near Inglewood on Thursday.
Fremont flooding
Floodwater and ice chunks cover Ridgeland Avenue east of Hormel Park in Fremont at around noon on Thursday. The water receded Thursday from the area of Emerson Estates, which was evacuated on Wednesday night.
Rescued in boat
Craig Sorensen holds onto his dog, Ollie, as they are evacuated from their home near Bellwood on Thursday.
Spencer Dam
Highway flooding
Floodwaters converge on U.S. 81 near Norfolk.
Genoa bridge
Floodwaters pass through a collapsed bridge on Nebraska 22 south of Genoa last week.
Stranded cattle
Cattle stand on dry land near patches of water near Fremont.
Flooding, 3.15
A worker sets out signs to block off Campanile Road on March 15 near Venice.
Flooding, 3.15
A truck towing an airboat drives through standing water Friday, March 15, 2019, to launch the boat and look for people who might need to be evacuated near Valley.
Tuxedo Park in Crete
A drone photo of Tuxedo Park in Crete taken Friday morning, showing flooding caused by the Big Blue River.
Platte River flooding at I-80
Platte River I-80 bridge (top) and Route 6 bridge near Ashland.
Flooding near Plattsmouth, 3.16
BNSF locomotives sit submerged in Platte River floodwaters near Plattsmouth on Saturday.
Peru flooding, 3.17
Assistant fire chief Luke Winkelman stacks water bladders Sunday in Peru. Peru's water supply is limited since the water treatment facility was shut off when flood waters overtook the plant. Residents have been asked to conserve water usage.
Peru flooding, 3.17
Peru State College students and community members look out at the floodwaters March 17 in Peru.
Peru flooding, 3.17
Kody Smith helps moves clothes out of a flooded home Sunday in Peru.
Peru flooding, 3.17
Kyle Smith moves furniture out of a flooded home Sunday in Peru.
Peru flooding, 3.17
The top of a fire hydrant peeks out of the water Sunday, March 17, in Peru.
Peru flooding, 3.17
Floodwaters creep into the town of Peru in March, approaching a sign that is typically 1.75 miles from the water.
Peru flooding, 3.17
Kody Smith (left) and Kyle Smith move furniture out of a flooded house Sunday in Peru.
Peru flooding, 3.17
A family gets ready to haul a trailer full of furniture away from a flooded house in Peru on March 17.
Rescuing calf in Fullerton
Nebraska City flooding
Nebraska City flooding.
Cooper plant
Cooper Nuclear Plant workers were being boated to and from the plant as both roads leading to the plant are covered by water.
Water flowing over levee L575 across the river from Nebraska City in Percival, Iowa
Water flowing over levee L575 across the river from Nebraska City in Percival, Iowa, in March.
Steinhart Grain Terminal at Nebraska City
Steinhart Grain Terminal at Nebraska City.
By the numbers
