Illegal immigrant child molester gets 2 years for assaulting ICE agents in Washington

Victor Lara-Lopez, 42, was sentenced on April 16 by US District Judge Mary K. Dimke to 24 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, according to First Assistant United States Attorney Pete Serrano.

Federal officials said Lara-Lopez had already been convicted in 2022 in Benton County Superior Court for molesting a 12-year-old child. Court records show he received a sentence above the standard range because he held a position of trust over the victim. At the time of that offense, Lara-Lopez, a Mexican national, was illegally residing in the United States.

Despite both his immigration status and sex offense conviction, Lara-Lopez was released back into the community after serving his prison term in Washington state custody.

That changed in June 2025, when ICE officers located Lara-Lopez in Pasco and moved to arrest him on an administrative warrant. According to court documents, two officers approached Lara-Lopez early on June 13 while he was sitting in a vehicle near his residence. The officers were wearing clearly marked law enforcement gear and identified themselves before attempting to carry out the arrest.

Lara-Lopez refused to cooperate. Prosecutors said he would not turn off the vehicle, provide his name, or step out. As officers attempted to arrest him from the vehicle’s running board, Lara-Lopez drove in reverse, then lurched forward onto a sidewalk and slammed into an ICE vehicle with enough force to rip off the front bumper. The two officers were forced to jump from the vehicle to avoid being crushed. Both were injured. Lara-Lopez then fled the scene.

Federal authorities later secured a criminal complaint and arrest warrant charging Lara-Lopez with two counts of assault on a federal law enforcement officer. He remained on the run for roughly a month, even as the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, and the US Marshals Service worked to track him down. He was finally arrested on July 15, 2025.

Even then, officials said Lara-Lopez initially refused to exit the vehicle. Two other individuals, including a minor child, were found inside. Lara-Lopez was prohibited from contact with minor children under the supervision terms tied to his earlier sex offense conviction. Officers also found fraudulent identification documents after taking him into custody.

Lara-Lopez later pleaded guilty on December 2, 2025, to assaulting both ICE officers. At sentencing, Judge Dimke reportedly pointed to Lara-Lopez’s repeated refusal to comply with law enforcement and warned that his actions had endangered the officers, the public, and himself.

Serrano said the case underscores the importance of immigration enforcement and the risks federal officers face while trying to remove dangerous offenders from American communities. “Lara-Lopez sexually abused a vulnerable, local child. He was permitted to return to our community despite this conviction and his illegal presence in the United States,” Serrano said. “The ICE officers in this case sought to protect this community by lawfully removing Lara-Lopez from it.”

FBI Seattle Special Agent in Charge W. Mike Herrington also condemned Lara-Lopez’s conduct, saying law enforcement officers risk their safety every day to apprehend dangerous criminals. “Mr. Lara-Lopez’s reckless behavior not only injured two federal agents but was particularly egregious in light of his prior conduct exploiting a child from a position of trust,” Herrington said.