GARDEN GROVE – A U.S. Customs & Border Protection officer who police suspect of sexually assaulting women in Garden Grove and Long Beach was arrested Thursday at his Fountain Valley home, authorities said.

Miguel Lerma Jr., 29, was taken into custody after DNA evidence tied him to a 2010 sexual assault in Garden Grove, as well as a sexual assault a year earlier in Long Beach, Garden Grove police officials announced in a written release.

Police allege Lerma picked up a 20-year-old woman on Harbor Boulevard in Santa Ana on Nov. 14, drove her to the 11800 block of Cardinal Circle in Garden Grove and sexually assaulted her.

The case remained unsolved until DNA evidence was found to match a 2009 sexual assault in Long Beach, police said. The details of the earlier sexual assault were not immediately available.

Garden Grove detectives worked with the Long Beach Police Department and the Internal Affairs Office of Homeland Security in linking the incidents and identifying Lerma as a suspect, police said.

Lerma was arrested on suspicion of sexual assault and terrorist threats as he left for work Thursday, police said. He is in custody at Orange County Jail in lieu of $1 million bail, according to Orange County Sheriff’s Department records.

Lerma has been placed on administrative leave, U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesman Jaime Ruiz said. Customs and Border Protection officials in a written statement released Thursday night said they were cooperating with the criminal investigation.

“Integrity is the keystone of our obligation to protect the United States and the American people. (Customs and Border Protection) officers and agents perform their duties with honor and distinction,” the statement read. “We accept nothing less than 100 percent compliance with the highest standards of integrity and do not tolerate corruption, abuse or misconduct within our ranks.”

Investigators are asking anyone with information about other possible assaults to call Det. Dave Young at 714-741-5836 or the Garden Grove Police Department 24-hour line at 714-741-5704.

Contact the writer: 714-796-7939 or semery@ocregister.com