GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The man identified as a suspect in multiple sexual assault cases in Kent County is now in police custody.
Fernando Vasquez-Pena is accused of sexually assaulting two women in separate incidents. Less than 24 hours after investigators revealed details of the cases, the 23-year-old was arrested, said the Grand Rapids Police Department.
Vasquez-Pena first became the target of investigators in a reported sexual assault from March 26, 2025 in Byron Township. The Kent County Sheriff's Office moved to file charges of First Degree Criminal Sexual Conduct and Possession of Child Sexually Abusive Material.
Later, the Grand Rapids Police Department investigated a different sexual assault. Detectives also identified Vasquez-Pena as a suspect in that case.
Detectives from both agencies, along with state and federal partners, spent months trying to locate him.
On Monday, the Kent County Prosecutor's Office issued a joint release with the Grand Rapids Police Department and Kent County Sheriff's Office, calling for the public's help to find him.
Vasquez-Pena was arrested by Grand Rapids police officers on Tuesday, April 21.
He'll be held in the county jail until his first court hearing.
“On behalf of GRPD, the Kent County Sheriff’s Office, and the Kent County Prosecutor’s Office, thank you to everyone who provided tips and shared the information, including our local media,” said Interim Grand Rapids Police Chief Joe Trigg. “We all have a role to play in keeping our communities safe and helping get justice for victims.”
Details on the initial case
Kent County sheriff's deputies responded to a home in Byron Township on March 27, 2025, for a reported sexual assault from the day before, court records show. The woman told investigators her granddaughter's ex-boyfriend, Vasquez-Pena, knocked on her door around 11:30 a.m. on March 26. When she opened the door a crack to talk with him, Vasquez-Pena forced his way inside.
The woman told police Vasquez-Pena raped her, telling her the attack was in response to threats being made against his family, per court records.
The victim suffered a blow to the head, her right hand, along with cuts to her knee and nose.
An exam at the YWCA provided more evidence of the assault.
When asked why the sheriff's office waited more than a year to share information on the case, a spokesperson provide this statement:
"This remains an ongoing investigation. Investigators used a variety of investigative resources and techniques to identify the suspect and develop the probable cause necessary to obtain an arrest warrant. Many of those investigative steps cannot be discussed publicly to protect the integrity of the investigation and any future prosecution. Investigators have continued actively working to locate the suspect and are now asking for the public’s assistance."
