UNION COUNTY, N.C. — The Union County Sheriff’s Office enlisted help from the U.S. Marshals to capture a man who escaped to Mexico after he was accused of sexually abusing children.
Baldomero Hernandez-Jimenez was arrested last week, and was extradited back to Union County. He had been on the run since 2021.
“Here in little Union County, you don’t think about us expanding our reach that far, but you’re not going to get away from us. I’ll put it that way,” said Lt. James Maye with the Union County Sheriff’s Office.
Hernandez-Jimenez was charged in 2020 with multiple counts of rape and indecent liberties with a child. According to court documents, he posted bond and never showed up to court. The sheriff’s office said he had been in the U.S. illegally. The agency requested help from the US Marshals.
“The Carolinas Regional Fugitive Task Force, the task force that unfortunately lost several members earlier this year in Charlotte, the guys are back to work,” Maye said. “They are doing a phenomenal job. The sheriff’s office actually has a deputy assigned to that task force so he’s with them every day.”
Maye explained the process the Task Force uses to track down fugitives.
“They go off several different types of data, family ties, interviews, collected through possible informants,” he said. “An extensive amount of resources they use to try and locate these offenders who had fled the United States.”
Hernandez-Jimenez is in jail under a $300,000 bond. If he does post bond, the sheriff’s office said ICE will prevent his release by holding him at their facility in Alamance County.
According to a court indictment, Hernandez-Jimenez was accused of raping three children between the ages of 8 and 11 years old. The crimes occurred between 2015 to 2018.
The sheriff’s office said it wasn’t until one of them notified their school, that they started investigating in 2020.
Five years later, Maye said those victims now have some peace.
“The victims are aware of it. They are doing well,” Maye said. “(They are) following up with resources that are offered by Turning Point Tree House Children’s Advocate Center and the sheriff’s office made contact with them. They’re thankful and they feel safer knowing he’s in custody.”
The sheriff’s office the Tree House Children’s Advocacy Center in Union County has been supporting the victims. Channel 9 learned the group has hired more Spanish-speaking staff in recent years to provide victims with more long-term resources. Staff help law enforcement conduct interviews, and provide counseling services in Spanish.
©2025 Cox Media Group
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/LH3JSJEF3VBLRJLJQESEAG34AM.png)
