A King County Sheriff's Office SWAT team arrested two men on September 2 in connection with the kidnapping and rape of two teenage girls, one 15 and one 17, who prosecutors say were lured from an Olympia church under the promise of alcohol and driven across county lines to a home near Renton. The arrests unfolded during a narcotics investigation that also turned up hundreds of grams of fentanyl and cocaine, cash, guns, and luxury vehicles.
The suspects were identified as 27-year-old Josue “Joshua” Orozco of Seattle and 19-year-old Moises Guardela-Marrugo of Kent, according to FOX 13 Seattle. Guardela-Marrugo was taken into custody in Auburn by the King County Sheriff's TAC 30 SWAT team, while Orozco was arrested at a parking lot in Kent outside his white Chevrolet C8 Corvette, the station reported. Bodycam footage from the tactical team captured the arrests of both men.
According to charging documents cited by the Renton Reporter, the two teenage girls met the suspects at an Olympia church on August 13 believing they would be getting alcohol, only to be driven in a van against their will to Orozco's home near Renton in unincorporated King County. There, the girls were allegedly locked in a bedroom and sexually assaulted. The suspects later dropped the teenagers off at a Kent shopping center parking lot, where a bystander drove them back to Olympia so they could report the crime to law enforcement, per the same account.
Charges and Bail Set in King County Superior Court
King County prosecutors charged Orozco with second-degree rape, third-degree rape, and two counts of unlawful imprisonment with a sexual motivation enhancement, holding him on $500,000 bail, while Guardela-Marrugo was charged with attempted second-degree rape on $200,000 bail, according to reporting from the Renton Reporter. Both men pleaded not guilty during their September 10 appearance in King County Superior Court, where Judge Josephine Wiggs barred news cameras from displaying the defendants' faces.
Defense counsel argued for lower bail on Guardela-Marrugo's behalf, pointing to his employment as a mechanic, his enrollment in welding school, and his role as his mother's sole financial support, the article notes. Prosecutors have also indicated plans to file firearm charges and attempted bribery charges against Orozco, who is accused of trying to bribe a sheriff's detective for his release.
Drug Task Force Operation Uncovered the Alleged Crime
The SWAT operation that led to the arrests took place during a narcotics investigation. During execution of the search warrants, authorities seized 387 grams of fentanyl, 1,902 grams of cocaine, four firearms, $16,000 in cash, jewelry, and three vehicles, including a tow truck, a Monte Carlo, and a C8 Corvette.
The King County Sheriff's Office TAC 30 unit has been involved in high-risk arrests and barricaded-person incidents. During a July tactical response that ended in a fatal fall in Seattle's First Hill neighborhood, the response involved crisis negotiators and aerial units.
Washington Law on the Charges Suspects Face
The charges against Orozco include second-degree rape and unlawful imprisonment with a sexual motivation enhancement.
The case involves alleged sexual assaults on teenagers. It remains unclear whether additional charges tied to the seized narcotics and weapons will be formally unsealed, or what will come of the alleged attempted bribery involving a sheriff's detective.
