Local

UPDATE: Warrant issued after convicted rapist attacks woman in wheelchair

WHITE CENTER, Wash. — UPDATE, JUNE 20: Detectives believe Francisco Carranza-Ramirez fled to Mexico. His warrants remain active, and police released a new photo of him.

ORIGINAL TEXT: A rapist was released from jail on the promise he'd return to Mexico, but instead attacked his wheelchair-bound victim again three days after his release, deputies say – and now he's on the run again.

King County Sheriff’s deputies are asking for the public’s help finding 35-year-old Francisco Carranza-Ramirez. He’s listed in court documents as a white male with brown eyes and black hair, 5-foot-8 and 140 pounds.

"Overwhelmed and scared,” said the woman who was raped by Carranza-Ramirez in an interview with KIRO 7.

She said King County prosecutors got it wrong from the beginning.

"I asked for aggravated factors to be considered, which they told they couldn't do,” she said. “If the prosecutors had charged him appropriately and the judge had kept him locked up, he wouldn't have even had the chance to do this.”

The defense asked the court to not impose community custody because he wanted to return to Mexico. The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office recommended community custody – meaning Carranza-Ramirez would still be released with conditions.

King County Superior Court Judge Nicole A. Gaines Phelps agreed to let him go with credit for time served and no community custody, as long as Carranza-Ramirez would provide proof that he returned to Mexico. A review hearing for the conditions of his release was scheduled for June 25.

"I went out of the courtroom, just like, hysterically crying,” said the victim. "It was really scary to me that the courts found it acceptable to trust a rapist to just get released and say what he says he's going to do.”

Court documents obtained by KIRO 7 Tuesday said Carranza-Ramirez was supposed to board a flight four days after his release to California, then enter Mexico by land.

As part of his June 13 guilty plea in the rape case, Carranza-Ramirez was the subject of a sexual assault protection order to keep him away from the victim for five years.

Carranza-Ramirez violated the protection order by being within 1,000 feet of the victim two days after his release, deputies said.

"He was just at a distance, just like staring at me," she said.

Investigators said he came back the next day.

“The suspect assaulted the victim knocking her out of her wheelchair, strangled her and threatened to kill her,” Sgt. Ryan Abbott said in a statement.

Deputies arrived on scene, but said Carranza-Ramirez fled and he was not located.

"I think that he wanted to kill me,” she said.

Carranza-Ramirez said killing her would “set him free,” according to charging papers.

Detectives said they believe he is in the White Center area and is homeless.

On Tuesday, prosecutors filed a second-degree assault charge, felony harassment, intimidating a witness and violation of a sexual assault protection order against Carranza-Ramirez.

"I feel like the police did their job but the rest of the criminal justice system thoroughly let me down,” said the woman. “Failed me.”

Anyone with information on Carranza-Ramirez’s location is asked to call 911.

More news from KIRO 7

DOWNLOAD OUR FREE NEWS APP