An illegal immigrant from Turkey was arrested and charged last week in Albany, New York, for allegedly raping a 15-year-old girl and authorities didn't notify the public about the incident, reports the Albany Times Union.
Sakir Akkan, 21, reportedly coerced a girl into his Toyota Prius on May 14, removed her clothes and raped her, according to court documents.
He has pleaded not guilty to first degree rape.
Akkan was arrested seven months ago by Border Patrol agents in San Diego after he crossed the southern border illegally but was then released into the U.S.
Albany Police Chief Eric Hawkins in a statement said neither he "nor anyone else in police administration had any idea whatsoever the immigration status of the defendant in this case until after he was arrested and arraigned on the charges."
Information wasn't released because it was determined "that there was no immediate threat to public safety during that time," Officer Megan Craft, a spokeswoman for the Albany Police Department, told the Times Union.
"Had there been a perceived threat to the public, appropriate information would have been released."
"As far as the release or sexual assault reports and arrests that do not pose a threat to the public are generally not released in order to prevent re-traumatization of the victim," Craft added.
But the department had previously released information on sexual assaults and rapes, according to the Times Union.
A person involved in the investigation questioned the decision not to release the information, telling the news outlet: "If an asylum-seeker snatching a kid (off a public street) and raping them and remaining on the loose is not a threat to public safety, then what is a threat to public safety?"