Sheriff defends actions after attorney general’s criticism of man’s release

(WISH) –Monroe County Sheriff Ruben Marté is defending his office’s actions against Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita.

It stems from the arrest of a man that Rokita says is in the country illegally, according to what he was told by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Lopez was convicted in February, pleading guilty to felony confinement, and sentenced to time already served in jail while awaiting adjudication.

Bloomington Police Department officers recently arrested Manuel Lopez Lopez, 38, of Bloomington, for the attempted rape of woman on the B-Line Trail.

Rokita was upset Lopez was released without ICE getting involved.

In a social media post on Thursday morning, the Republican attorney general said, “Instead of honoring ICE’s detainer request and getting this criminal out of our country entirely, he was released back into the community and has assaulted someone else.”

“This should’ve never happened and we will continue working to hold Sheriff Marté accountable,” Rokita’s post concluded.

The Democratic sheriff shared a statement with News 8.

“On February 19, 2025, Manuel Lopez Lopez entered a plea agreement, was convicted on a Level 6 Felony-Confinement, and was released by the court. At the time of his release, there was not an immigration detainer on file for him with the Monroe County Correctional Center. The Correctional Center had received only a ‘Request for Advance Notification of Release’ from ICE, a form that requests that law enforcement provide notice of release to ICE. This form specifically states that it ‘does not request or authorize that you detain the subject beyond the time that he or she is scheduled for release from your custody.’ That request was honored, and ICE was notified before Lopez was released.

“The Sheriff’s Office crafted the Standard Operating Procedure to comply with all applicable laws and constitutional guarantees. It is the position of the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office that the current policy balances our obligation to enforce the laws while ensuring that constitutional rights are protected.”

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