A sex offender accused of being a serial rapist and wanted in Modesto, California, was arrested by a Utah police force. Authorities are also looking for victims of the state who were attacked by this man.
Ivan Romo, 25, is suspected of multiple rapes of victims who worked as prostitutes, according to the Salt Lake County Unified Police Department, which found his whereabouts and arrested him after police searched for me in California.
Authorities say Ivan Romo has lived in Utah for five years and believes there may be victims in the state.
“We do not have any active cases here, but we are concerned that there may be local victims who have not reported a sexual assault because they are involved in prostitution,” police said.
If there are victims in Utah, they should come forward
Authorities are urging people who may have been sexually abused by Romo to report it and are also encouraging them not to worry about their work, which is irrelevant.
“They need to understand that the fact that they may be involved in sex work is completely irrelevant,” Greater Salt Lake Unified Police Department Sergeant Melody Cutler told The Associated Press.
Ivan Romo is wanted for involvement in at least four rape cases in Stanislaus County, California. Romo was arrested without incident at a construction site in the early hours of Wednesday morning, Unified Police said.
“No one can become a victim of such a heinous crime. So we hope there aren’t any, but we understand there’s a very good chance there are out there,” they said via AP.
Officials urge anyone who may have been a victim of sexual assault by Ivan Romo to contact Detective Christensen at 385-468-9834 using case reference number 23-93693.
The Stanislaus County District Attorney’s Office has been working extensively on this case and, according to the Utah authorities’ report, Romo will be returned to Stanislaus County to be formally charged and begin trial.
