BELLINGHAM — Interim U.S. Border Patrol Deputy Chief Patrol Agent Henry Rolon has been named to replace Deputy Chief Patrol Agent Joseph W. Giuliano, who was arrested on child rape charges last week.

The position is the second-in-command to Chief Patrol Agent John C. Bates at the Blaine Sector Border Patrol, of which the North Olympic Peninsula is part.

The agency transferred Rolon to Blaine — at the northern border terminus of Interstate 5 — from an assignment near the highway’s southern end at the California-Mexico border.

“I am committed to our border security mission of preventing all potential threats from entering the United States, while upholding our traditional mission of enforcing our immigration and narcotics laws,” Rolon said in a statement.

“My top priority is to ensure that we continue providing our Border Patrol agents with the tools and resources necessary to effectively secure our borders and protect America.”

Giuliano was charged last week with three counts of the third-degree child rape of a 14-year-old girl who was living with him and his wife, court documents say.

At least 24 times

He allegedly admitted to investigators to having sexual intercourse with the girl at least 24 times since April, according to charging documents filed in Whatcom County Superior Court.

Giuliano faces up to five years in prison if convicted, but that sentence could be doubled because of the multiple counts, said Mac Setter, Whatcom County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office chief criminal deputy.

Giuliano’s arraignment is scheduled for Oct. 24.

Setter said the girl’s father, who is dating Giuliano’s daughter, let her live with the Giuliano family because he did not have a place for her to stay after he and his wife separated.

The girl, who now has been placed with state Child Protective Services, began living with the Giuliano family in late February or early March, Setter said.

Giuliano had a high profile on the North Olympic Peninsula, commenting as Border Patrol spokesman on the agency’s immigration roadblocks in Clallam and Jefferson counties.

He was removed from his position as the investigation and trial are pending.

Station commander

Rolon, pronounced Ro-LON, will hold the position until a permanent replacement is found, Bates said.

Rolon’s most recent assignment was in the San Diego Sector as the commander of the Brown Field, Calif., Border Patrol Station, where he had operational command and control of more than 400 Border Patrol agents across from Tijuana, Mexico.

He began his career in law enforcement in 1988 as a U.S. Marine Corps military policeman.

He also served on the disturbance control team as a federal correctional officer in the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

Since joining the Border Patrol in 1996, he has been assigned to various locations throughout the nation, including Washington, D.C.