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New details have been released by investigators after a scary scene played out on Tuesday, May 16, in the Northwest Branch Trail in Burnt Mills East State Park in Silver Spring as the pair were enjoying a meal.
The rape and armed robbery was reported at approximately 2:40 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon, according to the Montgomery County Department of Police.
Police say that Jose Roberto Hernandez-Penal, 20, approached two women on the trail demanding property while brandishing a machete, sexually assaulting one of his victims in the process.
The second woman was uninjured.
He then fled the area, assaulting a man in the 1100 block of Devere Drive as he attempted to make his great escape.
Officers were able to establish a perimeter in the area to pin Hernandez-Penal down, and he was taken into custody without further incident.
Hernandez-Penal was taken to the Montgomery County Central Processing Unit, where he was charged with:
- First-degree rape;
- Kidnapping;
- Armed robbery;
- First-degree assault;
- Second-degree assault;
- Weapons-related charges.
Members of the Maryland-National Capital Park Police, a Maryland State Police helicopter, and a Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office K9 also assisted in the investigation, officials said.
Detectives from the department have released photos of Hernandez-Penal and are urging anyone else who may have been a victim of sexual assault to come forward.
Anyone who may have been a victim has been asked to contact investigators by calling (240) 773-5050 or Crime Solvers of Montgomery County at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477).
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