Asheboro man accused of holding former co-worker at gunpoint, ordering him to beat 2 others at Stokesdale work site

ROCKINGHAM COUNTY, N.C. (WGHP) — A man is accused of assaulting his former co-workers in Rockingham County.

According to the Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office, they were called to Ontex, an industrial plant in Stokesdale, around 8:30 a.m. on Monday about an assault. When they got there, they learned that a former worker had unknowingly come on the premises.

Deputies initially identified the suspect as Juan Antonio Polanco-Frias but later learned that this was an alias. The suspect’s real name is Julio Monquel-Sandria.

Monquel-Sandria, 37, was a former employee of CK Steel, which was doing work at Ontex. He arrived at the job site and waited for three former co-workers. When they got there, he confronted them with a gun and “beat one of the individuals with an extension cord” and then made that person assault the other two employees with the extension cord at gunpoint, “threatening to shoot them if they did not comply.” He then ran away.

He was taken into custody by Asheboro Police Department and charged with three counts of false imprisonment, three counts of communicating threats, three counts of assault inflicting serious injury. He was also charged with possession of meth and was served other outstanding warrants.

The victims are expected to recover.

Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page says that a background check following Monquel-Sandria’s arrest revealed he was in the country illegally and has previously been deported multiple times.

FOX8 is told authorities have told ICE, ATF and immigration officials, and they are hoping to keep Monquel-Sandria detained in order to face charges.

Page says that if ICE issues a detainer on Monquel-Sandria, he must remain in the country for the legal process. If convicted, he will reportedly serve time before being deported.

Monday night

Monquel-Sandria had a previous run-in with the law the night before.

According to an incident report, at about 10:26 p.m. on Monday night, a deputy responded to the 700 block of McDowell Road.

Deputies say Monquel-Sandria had allegedly followed a woman for 12 miles until she stopped at the 911 communication building seeking help.

Monquel-Sandria was scheduled to appear in court at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday on charges related to drug possession, driving without an operator’s license and window tinting. The incident at Ontex took place about an hour before his scheduled apperance.

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