Back in November there was some controversy here in the Phoenix area over the police description of the "Chandler Rapist" suspect.
Before the suspect was identified, his potential legal status became the subject of major debate. Police identified the alleged suspect as “Hispanic” during the investigation. One Phoenix Spanish-speaking radio station refused to disclose to its audience the ethnicity provided by police. The station claimed the information would lead to profiling of Latinos.
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| Santana Batiz Aceves Hispanic Rapist |
Police have arrested Santana Batiz Aceves, the man “suspected” of being the Chandler Rapist. That suspicion is based on the fact that his DNA and the DNA of the rapist are the same. They are charging him with 25 counts including aggravated assault, sexual assault, kidnapping, and trespassing.
Despite the local Spanish language radio station protesting the use of the word “Hispanic”, it turns out the Mr. Santana Batiz Aceves is in fact an Hispanic man. Aceves is a citizen of Mexico and is in the United States illegally. He has already been deported at least once.
The Chandler Rapist is blamed by police for up to six attacks since the summer of 2006.
Several of the victims were students at Anderson Junior High School. Police said the suspect apparently tracked most of his victims and knew of their routine schedules.
Great work on the part of Chandler Police officers, we salute them for their diligence.
To the Spanish-speaking radio station: you should be ashamed of yourself for turning this into a race issue.
