A 35-year-old Winchester man wanted on felony kidnapping and child abuse charges in Virginia was apprehended at Washington Dulles International Airport before he could board a flight to San Salvador, El Salvador. Balmore Perez de la Cruz was identified by Customs and Border Protection officers who were screening passengers on the outbound flight, and he was taken into custody before he could board.
Routine Passenger Vetting Led to the Arrest
According to Loudoun Now, officers were conducting routine vetting of passengers departing on the flight to San Salvador when they identified Perez de la Cruz as the subject of an outstanding warrant listed in the National Crime Information Center database. CBP said in its own release that officers arrested the man, described as a fleeing Salvadoran national, on felony charges of kidnapping and child abuse, as reported by cbp.gov. Officers apprehended him before he could board his scheduled departure flight, verified his identity, and confirmed the Frederick County warrant was still active.
Perez de la Cruz, of Winchester, is wanted by the Frederick County Sheriff's Office on the kidnapping and child-abuse charges, per the same account from Loudoun Now. The outlet also reported that an immigration judge had already ordered him removed from the United States back in 2018, a detail that adds another layer to how he ended up trying to leave the country through Dulles years later.
CBP Cites Interagency Coordination
CBP Area Port Director Christine Waugh pointed to the kind of cross-agency work that led to the arrest, saying the agency is “working with our federal, state, and local partners to identify dangerous fugitives” and return them to face justice, according to the report from Loudoun Now. That coordination — pairing routine airport screening with law enforcement databases — is what flagged Perez de la Cruz before his flight ever left the gate.
DC News Now reported that Perez de la Cruz was turned over to Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority police officers following his arrest. The exact timing of the arrest beyond Wednesday has not been detailed, and what happens next in the criminal case — including any court proceedings tied to the Frederick County warrant — has not yet been reported.
