Man arraigned in rape of girl
By Cass Rains, Staff Writer
December 06, 2008 12:09 am— A 30-year-old man was arraigned Friday on felony rape charges for allegedly having sex with a 15-year-old girl.Gilberto Baca Zavala, was charged Thursday with a single count of second-degree rape, which is punishable by one to 15 years in prison.According to an affidavit filed in the case, Enid police were contacted about 1:36 p.m. Monday by a 15-year-old girl, reporting she’d been raped.The girl told police Zavala, who lived in the same residence, forced her to have sex with him five or six times, the affidavit states. The girl told police she slept in the same room as her mother, and Zavala would wait until her mother fell asleep and would come and get her and make her go with him “or else.” The girl told police she tried to fight off Zavala but was unsuccessful. She said Zavala told her he wanted her to have his baby, even though the girl told him she did not want to have his baby. She said Zavala told her he was going to have a baby with her “one way or another,” the affidavit states. The girl told police the last time Zavala forced himself on her was Nov. 29. Police interviewed Zavala Monday afternoon. Zavala told police he knew the girl was 15 years old because they had just celebrated her birthday. He said the girl was his girlfriend and they had had sex about a month ago, according to the affidavit. When police said the girl told them the last time the two had sex was Nov. 29, Zavala said that was true. He told police the sex was consensual. During their interview with Zavala, police also learned he was not a legal citizen of the United States. Zavala’s bond was set at $200,000, and he was ordered to return to court Jan. 5 for a bond appearance.
Sunday, December 07, 2008
IN Illegals kill own child
Article published Dec 6, 2008
Couple charged in South Bend tot’s death
By PABLO ROS Tribune Staff Writer SOUTH BEND
-- A South Bend couple has been criminally charged in the death this week of a child whom authorities say had been physically abused most of her life. The toddler's mother, Kristina Byers-Escobedo, 30, was charged Friday with one count of neglect of a dependent, a class B felony. The child's father, 24-year-old Valentin Escobedo Jr., was charged with that and one count of battery resulting in the death of a child less than 14 years of age, a class A felony punishable by up to 50 years in prison. Maya Escobedo, who was 2 years old, died Wednesday of a severe head injury. Doctors at a local hospital pronounced her brain dead but kept her on life support so her organs could be donated. Escobedo and Byers-Escobedo lived with their 2- and 5-year-old children in the 3100 block of Voor Lane. They took Maya to a local hospital Tuesday after Byers-Escobedo, the mother, noticed swelling on the side of her head. Byers-Escobedo told police her daughter had been in the care of her husband while she was out at the movies with friends. Escobedo told police he was at home and had put Maya to sleep when he went into the child's bedroom to check on her and noticed that she had vomited. But doctors who examined Maya found she had suffered a back-to-front fracture of her skull, as well as three rib fractures, scrapes to her face and chin, and that she showed "numerous" bruises on her body, court documents say. Medical personnel also noted scrapes to her chin area and bruising on her buttocks, vaginal area, spine, legs and hips, according to court documents. One doctor who examined Maya told police the injuries to her skull could only have been caused by a high-speed auto accident, a fall from a great height or purposefully by an individual much older than her. Another doctor told police Maya's injuries could only have been the result of physical abuse. Yet this reportedly wasn't the first time Maya had been physically abused. According to police, Maya was taken to a hospital in December 2006, the year of her birth, because of difficulty breathing and was found to have a broken clavicle, broken ribs and a dislocated elbow, all in various stages of healing. But no one was criminally charged. Because Maya had been in the care of "multiple" people during that time, "authorities were unable to determine whether or not the parents had caused these injuries," court documents say. The Department of Child Services then placed Maya in the care of out-of-town relatives who had had no contact with her, while her parents participated in counseling and supervised visitation, court documents say. Escobedo was given a Polygraph test, and later Byers-Escobedo was told that her husband had been deceptive when questioned about Maya's injuries. DCS later obtained a protective order against Escobedo. But Maya was returned to her parents early this year and an investigation was closed in June after a psychiatrist advised DCS to return the child to her parents, and after Escobedo and Byers-Escobedo successfully completed family therapy and home-related services, court documents say. Escobedo, who authorities say is an illegal immigrant, is being held at the St. Joseph County Jail on $100,000 bond because he is considered a flight risk. Byers-Escobedo had not yet been booked into the jail as of late Friday afternoon, according to a booking officer, but a warrant had been issued for her arrest. The couple's 5-year-old son is reportedly in the custody of DCS. According to court documents, neither parent had ever been charged with a felony in St. Joseph County. Escobedo and Byers-Escobedo are scheduled for arraignment at 1 p.m. Monday in St. Joseph Superior Court.
Couple charged in South Bend tot’s death
By PABLO ROS Tribune Staff Writer SOUTH BEND
-- A South Bend couple has been criminally charged in the death this week of a child whom authorities say had been physically abused most of her life. The toddler's mother, Kristina Byers-Escobedo, 30, was charged Friday with one count of neglect of a dependent, a class B felony. The child's father, 24-year-old Valentin Escobedo Jr., was charged with that and one count of battery resulting in the death of a child less than 14 years of age, a class A felony punishable by up to 50 years in prison. Maya Escobedo, who was 2 years old, died Wednesday of a severe head injury. Doctors at a local hospital pronounced her brain dead but kept her on life support so her organs could be donated. Escobedo and Byers-Escobedo lived with their 2- and 5-year-old children in the 3100 block of Voor Lane. They took Maya to a local hospital Tuesday after Byers-Escobedo, the mother, noticed swelling on the side of her head. Byers-Escobedo told police her daughter had been in the care of her husband while she was out at the movies with friends. Escobedo told police he was at home and had put Maya to sleep when he went into the child's bedroom to check on her and noticed that she had vomited. But doctors who examined Maya found she had suffered a back-to-front fracture of her skull, as well as three rib fractures, scrapes to her face and chin, and that she showed "numerous" bruises on her body, court documents say. Medical personnel also noted scrapes to her chin area and bruising on her buttocks, vaginal area, spine, legs and hips, according to court documents. One doctor who examined Maya told police the injuries to her skull could only have been caused by a high-speed auto accident, a fall from a great height or purposefully by an individual much older than her. Another doctor told police Maya's injuries could only have been the result of physical abuse. Yet this reportedly wasn't the first time Maya had been physically abused. According to police, Maya was taken to a hospital in December 2006, the year of her birth, because of difficulty breathing and was found to have a broken clavicle, broken ribs and a dislocated elbow, all in various stages of healing. But no one was criminally charged. Because Maya had been in the care of "multiple" people during that time, "authorities were unable to determine whether or not the parents had caused these injuries," court documents say. The Department of Child Services then placed Maya in the care of out-of-town relatives who had had no contact with her, while her parents participated in counseling and supervised visitation, court documents say. Escobedo was given a Polygraph test, and later Byers-Escobedo was told that her husband had been deceptive when questioned about Maya's injuries. DCS later obtained a protective order against Escobedo. But Maya was returned to her parents early this year and an investigation was closed in June after a psychiatrist advised DCS to return the child to her parents, and after Escobedo and Byers-Escobedo successfully completed family therapy and home-related services, court documents say. Escobedo, who authorities say is an illegal immigrant, is being held at the St. Joseph County Jail on $100,000 bond because he is considered a flight risk. Byers-Escobedo had not yet been booked into the jail as of late Friday afternoon, according to a booking officer, but a warrant had been issued for her arrest. The couple's 5-year-old son is reportedly in the custody of DCS. According to court documents, neither parent had ever been charged with a felony in St. Joseph County. Escobedo and Byers-Escobedo are scheduled for arraignment at 1 p.m. Monday in St. Joseph Superior Court.
MD Illegal mom tries to strangle son
Mom accused of trying to strangle her baby will be deported
Originally published December 04, 2008 By Kate Leckie
A woman accused of trying to strangle her 9-month-old son with a curtain tieback will be deported to El Salvador, Frederick County State's Attorney Charlie Smith said Wednesday.
Deportation proceedings will begin immediately as part of a plea agreement reached in Frederick County Circuit Court, Smith said after the hearing that eliminated the need for a scheduled Dec. 11 trial.
Judge G. Edward Dwyer Jr. presided over Wednesday's hearing.
Blanca Noehmi Juarez, 27, was living in Frederick illegally when allegations of child abuse surfaced about 4:30 a.m. April 16, according to court documents.
Witnesses told police she tied a noose around her son's neck after arguing with her boyfriend, the baby's father, about phone calls from another woman, the documents state.
Under the agreement reached by Assistant State's Attorney Lindell K. Angel and Assistant Public Defender Stephen Musselman, Juarez pleaded guilty to reckless endangerment and, as a result, will lose custody of her son, Smith said.
Jailed at the Frederick County Adult Detention Center on a federal immigration warrant since her June 5 arrest, Juarez will be deported.
The child's father is in the United States legally, Smith said. He will have custody of the child.
Had the case gone to trial and Juarez been convicted of charges of child abuse and second-degree assault, she could have been ordered to serve 15- and 10-year sentences, respectively, in the Maryland Division of Correction.
"We decided it would be in the best interests of the taxpayers to deport her immediately and not have to pay to continue to house her here," Smith said. "She is not allowed to return to the U.S."
As Frederick Police Department detectives launched a three-month investigation in April, Juarez gave conflicting statements to police and representatives of Child Protective Services about where she had placed the rope.
Medical officials found a red mark on the baby's neck, court documents state.
Originally published December 04, 2008 By Kate Leckie
A woman accused of trying to strangle her 9-month-old son with a curtain tieback will be deported to El Salvador, Frederick County State's Attorney Charlie Smith said Wednesday.
Deportation proceedings will begin immediately as part of a plea agreement reached in Frederick County Circuit Court, Smith said after the hearing that eliminated the need for a scheduled Dec. 11 trial.
Judge G. Edward Dwyer Jr. presided over Wednesday's hearing.
Blanca Noehmi Juarez, 27, was living in Frederick illegally when allegations of child abuse surfaced about 4:30 a.m. April 16, according to court documents.
Witnesses told police she tied a noose around her son's neck after arguing with her boyfriend, the baby's father, about phone calls from another woman, the documents state.
Under the agreement reached by Assistant State's Attorney Lindell K. Angel and Assistant Public Defender Stephen Musselman, Juarez pleaded guilty to reckless endangerment and, as a result, will lose custody of her son, Smith said.
Jailed at the Frederick County Adult Detention Center on a federal immigration warrant since her June 5 arrest, Juarez will be deported.
The child's father is in the United States legally, Smith said. He will have custody of the child.
Had the case gone to trial and Juarez been convicted of charges of child abuse and second-degree assault, she could have been ordered to serve 15- and 10-year sentences, respectively, in the Maryland Division of Correction.
"We decided it would be in the best interests of the taxpayers to deport her immediately and not have to pay to continue to house her here," Smith said. "She is not allowed to return to the U.S."
As Frederick Police Department detectives launched a three-month investigation in April, Juarez gave conflicting statements to police and representatives of Child Protective Services about where she had placed the rope.
Medical officials found a red mark on the baby's neck, court documents state.
AZ Kids of illegal hang kitten
This is just so disturbing.
Young boys kill kitten; CPS investigates
December 5th, 2008 @ 6:41pm
by KTAR Newsroom; KPHO.com
Two young boys have admitted to stoning and later killing a kitten in an east Mesa trailer park, and authorities are trying to determine what to do about the suspects.
Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, whose Animal Crimes Unit investigated the October incident, said the boys, 6- and 7-years-old, are too young to be charged with animal cruelty. Arizona state law prohibits charging anyone under the age of eight with a crime.
Arpaio said Child Protective Services declined involvement, saying the circumstances of the case were outside the department's criteria.
Nevertheless, CPS reversed course Friday afternoon and said it will look into the matter, saying it discovered a little-used provision in the laws stating that the department can investigate if a child under the age of eight commits a crime.
The investigation began when the sheriff's office received a call Oct. 23 from a neighbor who found the four-month-old kitten hanging by its neck from a tree in a trailer park in the 9000 block of Apache Trail in Mesa.
"I found it in the morning, me and the neighbor," said Anthony Yanez. "He wasn't bloody, he was just, you know, with his eyes shut….and we called the police."
The boys apparently had used a wire from the video game controller they were playing, Grand Theft Auto, to hang the kitten, sheriff's deputies said. The animal's head had been injured by blows from a rock.
Deputies said that language and cultural differences made it difficult to persuade both boys' parents of the urgent need for counseling, but ultimately they agreed to perhaps seek counseling for the boys.
"The kind of psychological care these boys need to avoid any further acts of violence against animals or people will be very expensive," Arpaio said. "Both families are likely to be greatly burdened by the medical help required."
Further complicating the family situation is the fact that the mother of the 7-year-old is an illegal immigrant, the sheriff said.
Arpaio said he hopes someone in the counseling community will come forward to offer their services on a volunteer basis. He said deputies have contacted Arizona State University, which has a new program that specializes in these kinds of cases.
"This level of animal abuse at such a young age could be a predictor of worse violence in the future," Arpaio said. "Though it is a little unusual for us to get involved in this way, we're doing whatever we can to find the guidance these two boys need to avoid that."
Any qualified child counselor who might consider volunteering in this case is asked to contact the Sheriff's case investigator at (602) 876-1681.
Young boys kill kitten; CPS investigates
December 5th, 2008 @ 6:41pm
by KTAR Newsroom; KPHO.com
Two young boys have admitted to stoning and later killing a kitten in an east Mesa trailer park, and authorities are trying to determine what to do about the suspects.
Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, whose Animal Crimes Unit investigated the October incident, said the boys, 6- and 7-years-old, are too young to be charged with animal cruelty. Arizona state law prohibits charging anyone under the age of eight with a crime.
Arpaio said Child Protective Services declined involvement, saying the circumstances of the case were outside the department's criteria.
Nevertheless, CPS reversed course Friday afternoon and said it will look into the matter, saying it discovered a little-used provision in the laws stating that the department can investigate if a child under the age of eight commits a crime.
The investigation began when the sheriff's office received a call Oct. 23 from a neighbor who found the four-month-old kitten hanging by its neck from a tree in a trailer park in the 9000 block of Apache Trail in Mesa.
"I found it in the morning, me and the neighbor," said Anthony Yanez. "He wasn't bloody, he was just, you know, with his eyes shut….and we called the police."
The boys apparently had used a wire from the video game controller they were playing, Grand Theft Auto, to hang the kitten, sheriff's deputies said. The animal's head had been injured by blows from a rock.
Deputies said that language and cultural differences made it difficult to persuade both boys' parents of the urgent need for counseling, but ultimately they agreed to perhaps seek counseling for the boys.
"The kind of psychological care these boys need to avoid any further acts of violence against animals or people will be very expensive," Arpaio said. "Both families are likely to be greatly burdened by the medical help required."
Further complicating the family situation is the fact that the mother of the 7-year-old is an illegal immigrant, the sheriff said.
Arpaio said he hopes someone in the counseling community will come forward to offer their services on a volunteer basis. He said deputies have contacted Arizona State University, which has a new program that specializes in these kinds of cases.
"This level of animal abuse at such a young age could be a predictor of worse violence in the future," Arpaio said. "Though it is a little unusual for us to get involved in this way, we're doing whatever we can to find the guidance these two boys need to avoid that."
Any qualified child counselor who might consider volunteering in this case is asked to contact the Sheriff's case investigator at (602) 876-1681.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
AZ Illegal shoots
Illegal immigrant arrested in fatal shooting
Associated Press - November 21, 2008 3:14 AM ET
PHOENIX (AP) - Police have arrested an illegal immigrant wanted in connection with a fatal shooting last weekend in Mesa.
Christian Garcia, 26, was taken into custody Wednesday in Tucson as he was preparing to leave for Mexico, authorities said.
Once transported to Mesa, police said Garcia admitted to shooting a .9mm-caliber and .40-caliber handgun at a pickup carrying Christian Gonzalez early Sunday.
Gonzalez was killed and two other people in the vehicle were injured, police said.
Garcia was booked on suspicion of first-degree murder and four counts of aggravated assault.
Investigators believe the shooting is related to an altercation that occurred at a club in Mesa early Sunday.
Information from: The Arizona Republic, http://www.azcentral.com
Associated Press - November 21, 2008 3:14 AM ET
PHOENIX (AP) - Police have arrested an illegal immigrant wanted in connection with a fatal shooting last weekend in Mesa.
Christian Garcia, 26, was taken into custody Wednesday in Tucson as he was preparing to leave for Mexico, authorities said.
Once transported to Mesa, police said Garcia admitted to shooting a .9mm-caliber and .40-caliber handgun at a pickup carrying Christian Gonzalez early Sunday.
Gonzalez was killed and two other people in the vehicle were injured, police said.
Garcia was booked on suspicion of first-degree murder and four counts of aggravated assault.
Investigators believe the shooting is related to an altercation that occurred at a club in Mesa early Sunday.
Information from: The Arizona Republic, http://www.azcentral.com
Sunday, November 16, 2008
CT Illegal installs secret video in ladies room
Janitor charged with secretly recording women in Stamford train station bathroom
Stamford man facing at least 16 voyeurism charges
By Martin B. Cassidyand John NickersonStaff Writers
Article Launched: 11/13/2008 10:39:16 AM EST
STAMFORD - A janitor at the Stamford train station was charged Thursday with secretly videotaping at least 16 women in a bathroom stall with a cell phone taped to a roll of toilet paper.
Felicitos Gonzalez, 41, of 1 Division St., Apartment R, Stamford, was arrested by Metropolitan Transportation Authority police at his home a block away from the train station Wednesday.
Gonzalez was arraigned on 16 counts of voyeurism at state Superior Court in Stamford Thursday.
Judge Barbara Brazzel-Massaro ruled that Gonzalez, a Mexican native working in the country illegally, will be jailed in lieu of $50,000 bond for the Class D felony.
Gonzalez' defense attorney Howard Ehring said his client had little chance, if any of raising the money
A court translator reviews information for Felicitos Gonzalez during his arraignment on voyeurism charges Thursday at state Superior Court in Stamford. (Dru Nadler/Staff photo)to bond out.
Gonzalez' arrest by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority came after a 21-year-old woman used the ladies bathroom near the Dunkin' Donuts on the main floor of the train station late in the evening on Nov. 1, Gonzalez' arrest warrant says.
When the woman picked her book bag up off the floor, she tipped over a red plastic waste basked that contained five or six toilet paper rolls, she told police. As she picked up the rolls to place them back in the basket, one of the rolls felt heavy and started to beep, the warrant states.
"I ripped the toilet paper off of the roll and noticed that a camera phone had been taped to the roll. I turned the camera around and looked at the screen and noticed that it was recording the
bathroom stall," she said in her witness statement to the MTA.
The woman then got on the 11:30 p.m. train to Grand Central Station. Along the way she began looking at the recordings on the phone and found a video clip of a male Hispanic man wearing a green shirt as he set the phone into a stationary position and placed toilet rolls around it, the warrant said.
The woman also saw recordings of two other women going to the bathroom before turning off the phone, the warrant said.
Two days later the woman reported the camera to a police officer at a road job and he told her to call MTA police. That same day on Nov. 3 she talked to MTA Detective Sean Connolly about the phone and turned over the phone, which still had toilet paper taped around it, according to the warrant.
The next day a property manager for Fusco Management, which runs the train station, reviewed the video recordings and identified Gonzalez as the Hispanic man pictured on the camera phone.
Gonzalez, has for the past seven months worked for Suburban Contract Cleaning, a subcontractor hired by Fusco to clean and maintain the station.
Gonzalez has been in Connecticut for seven years according to the state bail commissioner and was identified by Sprint/Nextel as the phone's subscriber, the affidavit said. Inside the phone, authorities found three video files each two hours long.
In each of the videos Gonzalez is clearly seen cutting up pieces of toilet paper and taping the paper around the lens of the camera phone. He is then seen sitting down on the toilet seat to check the view on the phone screen, the affidavit said.
In reviewing the video recordings, Connolly saw 16 women enter the stall, pull down their pants and sit on the toilet seat, the affidavit said.
It is not clear when the recordings were made.
MTA Police Sgt. John Rizzitelli said, "We knew almost immediately he was one of the station cleaners... He denied it."
Police on Wednesday also seized a home computer from Gonzalez' bedroom which is being analyzed for further images at the Connecticut State Police Crime Lab in Meriden.
The U.S. Immigration, Customs, & Enforcement Agency was notified about the case, due to Gonzalez' immigration status.
Gonzalez is no longer working at the train station, Jason Fascella, Fusco's property manager at the station said, referring further questions to Fusco's headquarters and the DOT.
DOT spokesman Judd Everhart praised the MTA Police for making the arrest.
"The MTA Police are to be commended for quick action on these allegations of outrageous criminal behavior," Everhart said. "Connecticut commuters expect and deserve safe, clean conditions at every location."
In both Stamford and Bridgeport, Fusco subcontracts for various services, including cleaning and parking tasks, DOT Spokesman Kevin Nursick said.
In 2007, Fusco received about $2.5 million to manage the Stamford station, including the cost of the subcontractors, Nursick said.
The DOT requires that all firms doing business with it follow state and federal employment and immigration laws, Nursick said.
Stamford is the busiest station on the Metro North New Haven Line after Grand Central, with an average of 4,300 getting off the train there each day - 2,500 coming from other points in Connecticut and 1,800 from New York - during the morning rush.
Stamford man facing at least 16 voyeurism charges
By Martin B. Cassidyand John NickersonStaff Writers
Article Launched: 11/13/2008 10:39:16 AM EST
STAMFORD - A janitor at the Stamford train station was charged Thursday with secretly videotaping at least 16 women in a bathroom stall with a cell phone taped to a roll of toilet paper.
Felicitos Gonzalez, 41, of 1 Division St., Apartment R, Stamford, was arrested by Metropolitan Transportation Authority police at his home a block away from the train station Wednesday.
Gonzalez was arraigned on 16 counts of voyeurism at state Superior Court in Stamford Thursday.
Judge Barbara Brazzel-Massaro ruled that Gonzalez, a Mexican native working in the country illegally, will be jailed in lieu of $50,000 bond for the Class D felony.
Gonzalez' defense attorney Howard Ehring said his client had little chance, if any of raising the money
A court translator reviews information for Felicitos Gonzalez during his arraignment on voyeurism charges Thursday at state Superior Court in Stamford. (Dru Nadler/Staff photo)to bond out.
Gonzalez' arrest by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority came after a 21-year-old woman used the ladies bathroom near the Dunkin' Donuts on the main floor of the train station late in the evening on Nov. 1, Gonzalez' arrest warrant says.
When the woman picked her book bag up off the floor, she tipped over a red plastic waste basked that contained five or six toilet paper rolls, she told police. As she picked up the rolls to place them back in the basket, one of the rolls felt heavy and started to beep, the warrant states.
"I ripped the toilet paper off of the roll and noticed that a camera phone had been taped to the roll. I turned the camera around and looked at the screen and noticed that it was recording the
bathroom stall," she said in her witness statement to the MTA.
The woman then got on the 11:30 p.m. train to Grand Central Station. Along the way she began looking at the recordings on the phone and found a video clip of a male Hispanic man wearing a green shirt as he set the phone into a stationary position and placed toilet rolls around it, the warrant said.
The woman also saw recordings of two other women going to the bathroom before turning off the phone, the warrant said.
Two days later the woman reported the camera to a police officer at a road job and he told her to call MTA police. That same day on Nov. 3 she talked to MTA Detective Sean Connolly about the phone and turned over the phone, which still had toilet paper taped around it, according to the warrant.
The next day a property manager for Fusco Management, which runs the train station, reviewed the video recordings and identified Gonzalez as the Hispanic man pictured on the camera phone.
Gonzalez, has for the past seven months worked for Suburban Contract Cleaning, a subcontractor hired by Fusco to clean and maintain the station.
Gonzalez has been in Connecticut for seven years according to the state bail commissioner and was identified by Sprint/Nextel as the phone's subscriber, the affidavit said. Inside the phone, authorities found three video files each two hours long.
In each of the videos Gonzalez is clearly seen cutting up pieces of toilet paper and taping the paper around the lens of the camera phone. He is then seen sitting down on the toilet seat to check the view on the phone screen, the affidavit said.
In reviewing the video recordings, Connolly saw 16 women enter the stall, pull down their pants and sit on the toilet seat, the affidavit said.
It is not clear when the recordings were made.
MTA Police Sgt. John Rizzitelli said, "We knew almost immediately he was one of the station cleaners... He denied it."
Police on Wednesday also seized a home computer from Gonzalez' bedroom which is being analyzed for further images at the Connecticut State Police Crime Lab in Meriden.
The U.S. Immigration, Customs, & Enforcement Agency was notified about the case, due to Gonzalez' immigration status.
Gonzalez is no longer working at the train station, Jason Fascella, Fusco's property manager at the station said, referring further questions to Fusco's headquarters and the DOT.
DOT spokesman Judd Everhart praised the MTA Police for making the arrest.
"The MTA Police are to be commended for quick action on these allegations of outrageous criminal behavior," Everhart said. "Connecticut commuters expect and deserve safe, clean conditions at every location."
In both Stamford and Bridgeport, Fusco subcontracts for various services, including cleaning and parking tasks, DOT Spokesman Kevin Nursick said.
In 2007, Fusco received about $2.5 million to manage the Stamford station, including the cost of the subcontractors, Nursick said.
The DOT requires that all firms doing business with it follow state and federal employment and immigration laws, Nursick said.
Stamford is the busiest station on the Metro North New Haven Line after Grand Central, with an average of 4,300 getting off the train there each day - 2,500 coming from other points in Connecticut and 1,800 from New York - during the morning rush.
AZ Drunk illegal kills teen
Gilbert band member killed in crash on way to parade
Suspect held; police say he was impaired
by Lindsey Collom and Beth Duckett - Nov. 16, 2008 12:00 AMThe Arizona Republic
Mesa police say an impaired driver triggered a crash early Saturday that killed a 16-year-old girl and injured her 17-year-old brother as they drove to a school-band event.
Manuel Contreras-Galdean, 32, was arrested and booked into a Maricopa County jail on suspicion of manslaughter and aggravated assault.
Authorities also placed an immigration hold on him after it was determined that he was in the country illegally.
Police said Contreras-Galdean was at the wheel of a red Dodge Ram about 6:30 a.m. when he turned left in front of a Nissan Sentra carrying the teens.
Their collision occurred at Guadalupe and Sossaman roads, according to Sgt. Ed Wessing, a Mesa police spokesman.
The teenage girl suffered massive head trauma. Her brother, the driver, had non-life-threatening injuries.
Police declined to identify the siblings, who were on their way to perform in the Gilbert Days Parade. Band members and parents confirmed the pair were students at Highland High School.
Jay Thompson, whose daughter Lauren is a freshman in the band, said he and his wife, Francy, arrived at the school on Saturday morning to volunteer.
"There was just shock and grief and sadness . . . it was just horrible," Thompson said. "We just all cried and hugged."
Band officials pulled out of the parade.
Mesa police said the girl died in the operating room.
Hayden Horsman, a freshman band member, said students were devastated.
"They were amazed that something could happen to somebody our age," said Horsman, 14.
Suspect held; police say he was impaired
by Lindsey Collom and Beth Duckett - Nov. 16, 2008 12:00 AMThe Arizona Republic
Mesa police say an impaired driver triggered a crash early Saturday that killed a 16-year-old girl and injured her 17-year-old brother as they drove to a school-band event.
Manuel Contreras-Galdean, 32, was arrested and booked into a Maricopa County jail on suspicion of manslaughter and aggravated assault.
Authorities also placed an immigration hold on him after it was determined that he was in the country illegally.
Police said Contreras-Galdean was at the wheel of a red Dodge Ram about 6:30 a.m. when he turned left in front of a Nissan Sentra carrying the teens.
Their collision occurred at Guadalupe and Sossaman roads, according to Sgt. Ed Wessing, a Mesa police spokesman.
The teenage girl suffered massive head trauma. Her brother, the driver, had non-life-threatening injuries.
Police declined to identify the siblings, who were on their way to perform in the Gilbert Days Parade. Band members and parents confirmed the pair were students at Highland High School.
Jay Thompson, whose daughter Lauren is a freshman in the band, said he and his wife, Francy, arrived at the school on Saturday morning to volunteer.
"There was just shock and grief and sadness . . . it was just horrible," Thompson said. "We just all cried and hugged."
Band officials pulled out of the parade.
Mesa police said the girl died in the operating room.
Hayden Horsman, a freshman band member, said students were devastated.
"They were amazed that something could happen to somebody our age," said Horsman, 14.
Friday, November 14, 2008
CA SF Illegal kid kills another kid
(11-13) 18:44 PST SAN FRANCISCO -- A teenager accused of stabbing a 14-year-old boy to death in a gang-motivated attack had been given sanctuary from deportation under San Francisco's previous practice of shielding young illegal immigrant felons from federal authorities, records show.
Rony Aguilera, 17, known as "Guerrillero," has been charged as an adult in the July 31 sword attack in the Excelsior neighborhood that killed Ivan Miranda, who police say was an innocent victim caught up in an act of gang vengeance. Authorities believe Aguilera is an illegal immigrant from Honduras, but he was never referred to federal officials after being arrested last year in an assault case, according to records reviewed by The Chronicle.
Aguilera is the second person this year to be charged with murder in San Francisco after having been protected from possible deportation under city officials' now-discarded interpretation of a sanctuary ordinance that barred agencies from cooperating with federal efforts to round up illegal immigrants.
In June, Edwin Ramos, now 22, an alleged illegal immigrant from El Salvador who compiled a record of gang-related crimes as a juvenile, was accused of fatally shooting Anthony Bologna, 48, and his sons Michael, 20, and Matthew, 16, in their car in the Excelsior.
Police believe that, like Ramos, Aguilera is a member of the MS-13 (Mara Salvatrucha) gang.
He and 16-year-old Marlon Rivera were arrested last month and accused of killing Ivan on July 31 as the boy was walking to a friend's house to return an iPod he had borrowed. Rivera also has been charged as an adult with murder. Both are scheduled to be arraigned Nov. 26.
Aguilera's attorney, Theresa Marks, had no comment, other than to say that juvenile records reviewed by The Chronicle in Aguilera's case are confidential and that it is a misdemeanor to release them.
Earlier assault
At the time of the killing, Aguilera had been released from probation stemming from a gang-related assault that occurred when he was 16. Police said he had been identified as an MS-13 member at the time.
Authorities said Aguilera and another member of the gang assaulted a 16-year-old boy at Hill and Valencia streets in the Mission District on the afternoon of June 27, 2007. The victim was with friends when young men approached and demanded to know whether they were affiliated with a gang. Two assailants attacked the victim, kicking and beating him. He was treated at San Francisco General Hospital.
Aguilera was later identified as one of the attackers by the victim as well as two other witnesses, records of the case show. He was taken to Juvenile Hall and, the following month, admitted to assault and gang charges before a juvenile court judge, records show.
Authorities now say they believe he was in the country illegally from Honduras. But San Francisco juvenile authorities had long ordered their probation officers not to consider defendants' immigration status, under the Juvenile Probation Department's interpretation that such a move would violate the sanctuary city law.
As a result, Aguilera was not referred to federal immigration officials.
Instead, a juvenile court judge decided that he would live with his parents in Houston while being informally monitored from San Francisco, according to authorities with knowledge of the case.
A judge terminated his probation in December 2007. This year, he was back in the city.
Policy shift
In early July, after The Chronicle reported that the city had shielded dozens of young felons from deportation, City Attorney Dennis Herrera said the sanctuary law did not protect adult or juvenile criminals. Mayor Gavin Newsom declared that he had ordered juvenile justice officials to report illegal immigrant offenders to federal authorities.
Since then, the mayor has pledged a "top-to-bottom" review of the city's sanctuary policies and practices. His office did not return calls seeking comment Thursday.
Federal officials put an immigration hold on Aguilera after he was accused of killing Ivan, who was slain less than a month after Newsom publicly announced the city's policy shift. Aguilera is also being held on $2 million bail.
The city's former policy is the subject of a federal grand jury investigation. It is also at the heart of a legal case being developed by the Bologna family, which filed a claim against the city in August after Ramos' background was publicized. The claim, which the city denied last month, is the likely precursor to a lawsuit.
Revenge mission
According to police accounts, Ivan was stabbed on a street in the Excelsior neighborhood a few hours after the relative of an MS-13 member was wounded in a shooting. Gang members blamed the rival Norteño group, and several went looking for Norteños to attack, investigators said.
Ivan had no connection to the Norteños, police said, but the gang members attacked him anyway as he talked with two friends at the corner of Madrid and Persia streets.
The boy was stabbed with what police described as a Japanese-style sword and was robbed of the iPod he was returning to his friend. When he tried to run, two assailants chased him down and stabbed him through the neck, nearly decapitating him, police said.
His sister said Ivan, known as Little Mejo, was a well-behaved boy who knew at least one of the murder suspects, Rivera, as a troublemaker who got kicked out of Mission High. The boy had nothing to do with the Norteños or any other gang, she said.
The sister, who asked not to be identified by name because she fears for her safety, said youths who come to the United States and join gangs should not be allowed to stay here if they commit crimes.
"They should be arrested - they only are doing bad things to other people," she said. "Ivan was only 14 years old. They are 16, 17, 18. That's bad. They should be deported to their country."
Hours after Ivan was killed, suspects in the case met up with a federal informant who secretly taped the meeting.
Aguilera told the informant, "We stabbed the son of a bitch," according to a transcript of the conversation.
"There is no problem with this homeboy anymore," he said later.
Ivan's sister said the boy never had a chance in the street confrontation.
"Ivan was a kid. Ivan didn't have anything to protect himself," she said. "If they want to take an iPod, why should they be killing him? I don't understand that part."
The story so far
How San Francisco came to protect juvenile undocumented immigrant felons from possible deportation, and steps the city has taken.
Origins: In 1985, San Francisco declared itself a sanctuary city for immigrants seeking asylum from right-wing governments in El Salvador and Guatemala. Four years later, the city extended the policy to all immigrants and indicated that the city could not use its resources to help federal immigration law enforcement, except when required by federal law.
Criminals: In 1992 and 1993, the legislation was altered to allow law enforcement to report felony arrests of suspected undocumented immigrants to federal authorities. In 1994, the city attorney said juveniles booked on felony charges were not exempt from being reported.
Reinterpretation: Sometime in the 1990s, San Francisco officials began interpreting the ordinance along with state juvenile law as preventing them from referring undocumented immigrants in the juvenile justice system to federal authorities for deportation.
Free flights: Rather than send juvenile offenders through the deportation system, which could result in their being legally barred from ever returning to the United States, juvenile probation officials flew some directly to their homelands. Such flights were halted in May after federal officials complained.
Group homes: Still not wanting to turn over undocumented immigrant offenders for deportation, juvenile justice officials in May started sending young offenders to unlocked group homes. Most quickly escaped. Mayor Gavin Newsom said in July that he had ordered the practice halted.
S.F. shifts gears: In July, City Attorney Dennis Herrera said that nothing in the sanctuary city law prevents officials from turning over undocumented immigrant juveniles who commit felonies to federal immigration authorities. Newsom said the city had started cooperating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Edwin Ramos: As the city began changing its policies, The Chronicle reported that Edwin Ramos, accused of killing three members of a family on an Excelsior district street June 22, was an undocumented immigrant from El Salvador who had twice been in San Francisco's juvenile justice system but had never been referred to federal authorities.
Grand jury probe: In early October, city officials said a federal grand jury was investigating whether San Francisco's sanctuary policies violate U.S. laws against harboring people who are in the country illegally.
Rony Aguilera, 17, known as "Guerrillero," has been charged as an adult in the July 31 sword attack in the Excelsior neighborhood that killed Ivan Miranda, who police say was an innocent victim caught up in an act of gang vengeance. Authorities believe Aguilera is an illegal immigrant from Honduras, but he was never referred to federal officials after being arrested last year in an assault case, according to records reviewed by The Chronicle.
Aguilera is the second person this year to be charged with murder in San Francisco after having been protected from possible deportation under city officials' now-discarded interpretation of a sanctuary ordinance that barred agencies from cooperating with federal efforts to round up illegal immigrants.
In June, Edwin Ramos, now 22, an alleged illegal immigrant from El Salvador who compiled a record of gang-related crimes as a juvenile, was accused of fatally shooting Anthony Bologna, 48, and his sons Michael, 20, and Matthew, 16, in their car in the Excelsior.
Police believe that, like Ramos, Aguilera is a member of the MS-13 (Mara Salvatrucha) gang.
He and 16-year-old Marlon Rivera were arrested last month and accused of killing Ivan on July 31 as the boy was walking to a friend's house to return an iPod he had borrowed. Rivera also has been charged as an adult with murder. Both are scheduled to be arraigned Nov. 26.
Aguilera's attorney, Theresa Marks, had no comment, other than to say that juvenile records reviewed by The Chronicle in Aguilera's case are confidential and that it is a misdemeanor to release them.
Earlier assault
At the time of the killing, Aguilera had been released from probation stemming from a gang-related assault that occurred when he was 16. Police said he had been identified as an MS-13 member at the time.
Authorities said Aguilera and another member of the gang assaulted a 16-year-old boy at Hill and Valencia streets in the Mission District on the afternoon of June 27, 2007. The victim was with friends when young men approached and demanded to know whether they were affiliated with a gang. Two assailants attacked the victim, kicking and beating him. He was treated at San Francisco General Hospital.
Aguilera was later identified as one of the attackers by the victim as well as two other witnesses, records of the case show. He was taken to Juvenile Hall and, the following month, admitted to assault and gang charges before a juvenile court judge, records show.
Authorities now say they believe he was in the country illegally from Honduras. But San Francisco juvenile authorities had long ordered their probation officers not to consider defendants' immigration status, under the Juvenile Probation Department's interpretation that such a move would violate the sanctuary city law.
As a result, Aguilera was not referred to federal immigration officials.
Instead, a juvenile court judge decided that he would live with his parents in Houston while being informally monitored from San Francisco, according to authorities with knowledge of the case.
A judge terminated his probation in December 2007. This year, he was back in the city.
Policy shift
In early July, after The Chronicle reported that the city had shielded dozens of young felons from deportation, City Attorney Dennis Herrera said the sanctuary law did not protect adult or juvenile criminals. Mayor Gavin Newsom declared that he had ordered juvenile justice officials to report illegal immigrant offenders to federal authorities.
Since then, the mayor has pledged a "top-to-bottom" review of the city's sanctuary policies and practices. His office did not return calls seeking comment Thursday.
Federal officials put an immigration hold on Aguilera after he was accused of killing Ivan, who was slain less than a month after Newsom publicly announced the city's policy shift. Aguilera is also being held on $2 million bail.
The city's former policy is the subject of a federal grand jury investigation. It is also at the heart of a legal case being developed by the Bologna family, which filed a claim against the city in August after Ramos' background was publicized. The claim, which the city denied last month, is the likely precursor to a lawsuit.
Revenge mission
According to police accounts, Ivan was stabbed on a street in the Excelsior neighborhood a few hours after the relative of an MS-13 member was wounded in a shooting. Gang members blamed the rival Norteño group, and several went looking for Norteños to attack, investigators said.
Ivan had no connection to the Norteños, police said, but the gang members attacked him anyway as he talked with two friends at the corner of Madrid and Persia streets.
The boy was stabbed with what police described as a Japanese-style sword and was robbed of the iPod he was returning to his friend. When he tried to run, two assailants chased him down and stabbed him through the neck, nearly decapitating him, police said.
His sister said Ivan, known as Little Mejo, was a well-behaved boy who knew at least one of the murder suspects, Rivera, as a troublemaker who got kicked out of Mission High. The boy had nothing to do with the Norteños or any other gang, she said.
The sister, who asked not to be identified by name because she fears for her safety, said youths who come to the United States and join gangs should not be allowed to stay here if they commit crimes.
"They should be arrested - they only are doing bad things to other people," she said. "Ivan was only 14 years old. They are 16, 17, 18. That's bad. They should be deported to their country."
Hours after Ivan was killed, suspects in the case met up with a federal informant who secretly taped the meeting.
Aguilera told the informant, "We stabbed the son of a bitch," according to a transcript of the conversation.
"There is no problem with this homeboy anymore," he said later.
Ivan's sister said the boy never had a chance in the street confrontation.
"Ivan was a kid. Ivan didn't have anything to protect himself," she said. "If they want to take an iPod, why should they be killing him? I don't understand that part."
The story so far
How San Francisco came to protect juvenile undocumented immigrant felons from possible deportation, and steps the city has taken.
Origins: In 1985, San Francisco declared itself a sanctuary city for immigrants seeking asylum from right-wing governments in El Salvador and Guatemala. Four years later, the city extended the policy to all immigrants and indicated that the city could not use its resources to help federal immigration law enforcement, except when required by federal law.
Criminals: In 1992 and 1993, the legislation was altered to allow law enforcement to report felony arrests of suspected undocumented immigrants to federal authorities. In 1994, the city attorney said juveniles booked on felony charges were not exempt from being reported.
Reinterpretation: Sometime in the 1990s, San Francisco officials began interpreting the ordinance along with state juvenile law as preventing them from referring undocumented immigrants in the juvenile justice system to federal authorities for deportation.
Free flights: Rather than send juvenile offenders through the deportation system, which could result in their being legally barred from ever returning to the United States, juvenile probation officials flew some directly to their homelands. Such flights were halted in May after federal officials complained.
Group homes: Still not wanting to turn over undocumented immigrant offenders for deportation, juvenile justice officials in May started sending young offenders to unlocked group homes. Most quickly escaped. Mayor Gavin Newsom said in July that he had ordered the practice halted.
S.F. shifts gears: In July, City Attorney Dennis Herrera said that nothing in the sanctuary city law prevents officials from turning over undocumented immigrant juveniles who commit felonies to federal immigration authorities. Newsom said the city had started cooperating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Edwin Ramos: As the city began changing its policies, The Chronicle reported that Edwin Ramos, accused of killing three members of a family on an Excelsior district street June 22, was an undocumented immigrant from El Salvador who had twice been in San Francisco's juvenile justice system but had never been referred to federal authorities.
Grand jury probe: In early October, city officials said a federal grand jury was investigating whether San Francisco's sanctuary policies violate U.S. laws against harboring people who are in the country illegally.
MD Illegal gang banger murders honor student
Police Arrest One In Bus Shooting
Hector Mauricio Hernandez has been charged with murder.
By Joe Slaninka
Special to The Sentinel
Police say the man responsible for killing a Montgomery Blair High School honors student in an unprovoked shooting on a crowded bus is not only a member of a notorious street gang, but an illegal alien as well.
On Monday, Montgomery County police said they arrested a 20-year-old man and obtained warrants for two other suspects in connection with the murder of 14-year-old Tai Lam on Nov. 1.
Police arrested Hector Mauricio Hernandez, of Takoma Park, on Friday, Nov. 7 and charged him with first-degree murder, after he allegedly shot a handgun into a crowded bus after exiting, striking and killing Lam, 14, and injuring two other teenagers.
Hernandez, along with three to four other individuals, reportedly got into a verbal altercation with a large group of teenagers, before leaving the bus, according to police.
Cao Lam, Tai's 16-year-old brother, was on the bus at the time of the shooting and says there was no dispute and that the gunman was unprovoked. "It was like he was ready to shoot anybody," Cao said.
The three teens were transported to area hospitals where Lam eventually died from his injuries. The other two victims have been released and are expected to fully recover, police said.
Montgomery County Police Chief Thomas Manger said Hernandez is an illegal immigrant and a member of Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13, an international gang from Central America that has a very strong presence in the D.C. region.
"As far as the activities and membership of MS-13, it is one of the most prolific gangs in the area," said Captain Don Johnson, commander of District 3, where the murder occurred.
Police, along with several county officials, including County Executive Isiah Leggett and Councilmember Valerie Ervin, held a community meeting Monday, and discussed how to prevent these crimes from happening.
After a video was played containing Montgomery Blair students' stories of Lam and their farewells to him, and a statement made by Lam's sister, Quy Lam, thanking the community for their support of her and her family, police announced at the meeting that they obtained arrest warrants for two other suspects in the shooting.
Police said they are searching for Gilmar Leonardo Romero and Mario Ernesto Milan-Canales, who they said accompanied Hernandez at the time of the shooting. Romero will be charged with first-degree murder and Milan-Canales will be charged with accessory after the fact for first-degree murder, police said.
According to police, they believe that Romero and Milan-Canales are members of MS-13 as well. They are both described as Hispanic males, ages 20 and 30, respectively. Romero is 5-feet-1-inch tall, weighing 120 pounds with brown eyes and brown hair. Milan-Canales is 5-feet-3-inches tall, weighing 140 pounds with brown eyes and brown hair.
According to police, Hernandez was previously arrested on Oct. 3 and charged with carrying a concealed weapon, a switch blade knife. "He was taken before the commissioner's office, and the commissioner released him on personal recognizance," Manger said.
According to Manger, there was no detainer put on Hernandez while he was in custody.
Brad Botwin, director of Help Save Maryland, said he is "blaming" Leggett for the murder because of his refusal to train police officers in accordance with Section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. "Ike Leggett has blood on his hands as a result from the latest murder, and will only serve one term for his lawless ways," Botwin said.
Section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act "authorizes the secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to enter into agreements with state and local law enforcement agencies, permitting designated officers to perform immigration law enforcement functions ... provided that the local law enforcement officers receive appropriate training and function under the supervision of sworn U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers."
The Montgomery Blair students raised $5,000 last week to help pay for Lam's funeral and a scholarship fund, in honor of him, was proposed at the meeting as well, Monday night.
Sybil Brown, the president of the Student Government Association at Blair, said they plan to sell T-shirts with Lam's picture in memory of him. The proceeds will help fund a memorial that will be placed somewhere in the school, she said.
Hector Mauricio Hernandez has been charged with murder.
By Joe Slaninka
Special to The Sentinel
Police say the man responsible for killing a Montgomery Blair High School honors student in an unprovoked shooting on a crowded bus is not only a member of a notorious street gang, but an illegal alien as well.
On Monday, Montgomery County police said they arrested a 20-year-old man and obtained warrants for two other suspects in connection with the murder of 14-year-old Tai Lam on Nov. 1.
Police arrested Hector Mauricio Hernandez, of Takoma Park, on Friday, Nov. 7 and charged him with first-degree murder, after he allegedly shot a handgun into a crowded bus after exiting, striking and killing Lam, 14, and injuring two other teenagers.
Hernandez, along with three to four other individuals, reportedly got into a verbal altercation with a large group of teenagers, before leaving the bus, according to police.
Cao Lam, Tai's 16-year-old brother, was on the bus at the time of the shooting and says there was no dispute and that the gunman was unprovoked. "It was like he was ready to shoot anybody," Cao said.
The three teens were transported to area hospitals where Lam eventually died from his injuries. The other two victims have been released and are expected to fully recover, police said.
Montgomery County Police Chief Thomas Manger said Hernandez is an illegal immigrant and a member of Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13, an international gang from Central America that has a very strong presence in the D.C. region.
"As far as the activities and membership of MS-13, it is one of the most prolific gangs in the area," said Captain Don Johnson, commander of District 3, where the murder occurred.
Police, along with several county officials, including County Executive Isiah Leggett and Councilmember Valerie Ervin, held a community meeting Monday, and discussed how to prevent these crimes from happening.
After a video was played containing Montgomery Blair students' stories of Lam and their farewells to him, and a statement made by Lam's sister, Quy Lam, thanking the community for their support of her and her family, police announced at the meeting that they obtained arrest warrants for two other suspects in the shooting.
Police said they are searching for Gilmar Leonardo Romero and Mario Ernesto Milan-Canales, who they said accompanied Hernandez at the time of the shooting. Romero will be charged with first-degree murder and Milan-Canales will be charged with accessory after the fact for first-degree murder, police said.
According to police, they believe that Romero and Milan-Canales are members of MS-13 as well. They are both described as Hispanic males, ages 20 and 30, respectively. Romero is 5-feet-1-inch tall, weighing 120 pounds with brown eyes and brown hair. Milan-Canales is 5-feet-3-inches tall, weighing 140 pounds with brown eyes and brown hair.
According to police, Hernandez was previously arrested on Oct. 3 and charged with carrying a concealed weapon, a switch blade knife. "He was taken before the commissioner's office, and the commissioner released him on personal recognizance," Manger said.
According to Manger, there was no detainer put on Hernandez while he was in custody.
Brad Botwin, director of Help Save Maryland, said he is "blaming" Leggett for the murder because of his refusal to train police officers in accordance with Section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. "Ike Leggett has blood on his hands as a result from the latest murder, and will only serve one term for his lawless ways," Botwin said.
Section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act "authorizes the secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to enter into agreements with state and local law enforcement agencies, permitting designated officers to perform immigration law enforcement functions ... provided that the local law enforcement officers receive appropriate training and function under the supervision of sworn U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers."
The Montgomery Blair students raised $5,000 last week to help pay for Lam's funeral and a scholarship fund, in honor of him, was proposed at the meeting as well, Monday night.
Sybil Brown, the president of the Student Government Association at Blair, said they plan to sell T-shirts with Lam's picture in memory of him. The proceeds will help fund a memorial that will be placed somewhere in the school, she said.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
TX Illegal has sex with minor girl
And this creep is married???
SAN ANTONIO -- A man from Honduras is behind bars after he was accused of having sex with an underage girl. The man, 25-year-old Wilson Nunez, is an illegal immigrant. The alleged victim is a 15-year-old high school student.According to a case affidavit, Nunez met the teen at a gas station right up the street from her high school. The teen said she went with Nunez to his brother's home, where they had sex.The girl later told her mom what happened. The mom then called police to say her daughter had been molested."Certainly it's illegal for the contact," explained Sgt. Gabe Trevino of the San Antonio Police Department. "The fact that it was reported to us and, obviously, we started the investigation at that point."Police checked with the school's attendance records and confirmed the teen had missed school on September 10th, the day she claims she met up with Nunez. Nunez was a friend of the family.Nunez's wife told police she found messages between him and the teen, and it appeared they were having a relationship."The mere fact that this child is 15 made the offense a felony," Sgt. Trevino told News 4.Police arrested Nunez Monday night and charged him with sexual assault of a child. Nunez remains in the Bexar County Jail without bond because of his legal status.Under Texas law, sexual assault of anyone under the age of 17 is a second degree felony. A conviction can result in up to 20 years in state prison and a $10,000 fine.
SAN ANTONIO -- A man from Honduras is behind bars after he was accused of having sex with an underage girl. The man, 25-year-old Wilson Nunez, is an illegal immigrant. The alleged victim is a 15-year-old high school student.According to a case affidavit, Nunez met the teen at a gas station right up the street from her high school. The teen said she went with Nunez to his brother's home, where they had sex.The girl later told her mom what happened. The mom then called police to say her daughter had been molested."Certainly it's illegal for the contact," explained Sgt. Gabe Trevino of the San Antonio Police Department. "The fact that it was reported to us and, obviously, we started the investigation at that point."Police checked with the school's attendance records and confirmed the teen had missed school on September 10th, the day she claims she met up with Nunez. Nunez was a friend of the family.Nunez's wife told police she found messages between him and the teen, and it appeared they were having a relationship."The mere fact that this child is 15 made the offense a felony," Sgt. Trevino told News 4.Police arrested Nunez Monday night and charged him with sexual assault of a child. Nunez remains in the Bexar County Jail without bond because of his legal status.Under Texas law, sexual assault of anyone under the age of 17 is a second degree felony. A conviction can result in up to 20 years in state prison and a $10,000 fine.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
UT Pot farm probably Mexican drug cartel
Hunters Discover Marijuana Farm Worth Millions in Utah Mountains
Tuesday , October 21, 2008
:
Hunters in central Utah hoping to find some deer this weekend stumbled instead on a marijuana farm worth millions growing in the mountains.
The pot plant collection is the latest of several discovered in Utah in recent weeks, this one estimated to contain several thousand plants, according to KSL-TV.
One hunter described the scene as “quite an operation” complete with a pressurized watering system using a spring from the mountain itself, KSL-TV in Salt Lake City reported.
The hunters also found two men watering the plants, one allegedly armed with a handgun, who police believe were actually living at the site and guarding the operation, the station reported.
When police approached, the suspects “grabbed what they could and took off running” — but eventually Jose Rodriguez and Cesar Duran-Frias and were arrested, Sanpete County Sheriff's Sgt. Greg Peterson told KSL-TV.
No additional suspects have been named in the case, but investigators were keeping a watch on the site as they worked to remove the massive number of plants, the station reported.
"Especially as much as there is, it's really good to get it off of the mountain before it is harvested and before they start selling it and getting it on the street," Peterson told KSL-TV.
Tuesday , October 21, 2008
:
Hunters in central Utah hoping to find some deer this weekend stumbled instead on a marijuana farm worth millions growing in the mountains.
The pot plant collection is the latest of several discovered in Utah in recent weeks, this one estimated to contain several thousand plants, according to KSL-TV.
One hunter described the scene as “quite an operation” complete with a pressurized watering system using a spring from the mountain itself, KSL-TV in Salt Lake City reported.
The hunters also found two men watering the plants, one allegedly armed with a handgun, who police believe were actually living at the site and guarding the operation, the station reported.
When police approached, the suspects “grabbed what they could and took off running” — but eventually Jose Rodriguez and Cesar Duran-Frias and were arrested, Sanpete County Sheriff's Sgt. Greg Peterson told KSL-TV.
No additional suspects have been named in the case, but investigators were keeping a watch on the site as they worked to remove the massive number of plants, the station reported.
"Especially as much as there is, it's really good to get it off of the mountain before it is harvested and before they start selling it and getting it on the street," Peterson told KSL-TV.
AZ Another Illegal kills another cop
Accused Cop Killer Has 4 Outstanding Warrants
Illegal Immigrant Booked On 1 Count Of Manslaughter
POSTED: 11:56 am MST October 25, 2008
UPDATED: 6:48 am MST October 26, 2008
PHOENIX -- A suspected drunken driver in the country illegally who plowed into a squad car and killed a Phoenix police officer had four outstanding warrants, investigators said.
Officer Shane Figueroa, 25, was killed early Saturday while responding to a call about a series of shots fired. Figueroa was heading northbound on S. 19th Avenue, police said.
Police arrested Salvador Vivas Diaz, 50, and booked him on one count of manslaughter and one count of aggravated assault. Sgt. Andy Hill said there are four warrants for the man's arrest under a different name, two of which are for DUI.
"As he approached S. Roeser Road, a small white pickup truck with two occupants was driving southbound on S. Roeser Road and, according to witnesses and investigators, turned left in front of Officer Figueroa's vehicle," Hill said.
Hill said Diaz slammed his pickup truck into the officer's car west of downtown Phoenix.
"Officer Figueroa suffered fatal injuries during this crash and was pronounced dead at St. Joseph's Hospital," Hill said.
Diaz suffered minor injuries. His passenger was seriously hurt.
"This is another tremendous loss, not only to Officer Figueroa's family, but to the Phoenix Police Department and the community," said Sgt. Andy Hill.
Figueroa leaves behind a wife and a 3-month-old baby girl.
"This has been a terrible tragedy for our department," said Jack Harris, Phoenix police chief. "As you know, we have lost four officers in the past month due to either personal illness or to, in this case, a very tragic accident."
Officers said the collision is still under investigation. "There are a number of factors critical to this investigation that will be determined by lab tests and mathematical calculations," he said.
"Officer Figueroa's dad is a retired officer from the Phoenix Police Department and is currently employed as an officer in the town of Maricopa," Harris said. "His father-in-law is currently a lieutenant with the Mesa Police Department."
Illegal Immigrant Booked On 1 Count Of Manslaughter
POSTED: 11:56 am MST October 25, 2008
UPDATED: 6:48 am MST October 26, 2008
PHOENIX -- A suspected drunken driver in the country illegally who plowed into a squad car and killed a Phoenix police officer had four outstanding warrants, investigators said.
Officer Shane Figueroa, 25, was killed early Saturday while responding to a call about a series of shots fired. Figueroa was heading northbound on S. 19th Avenue, police said.
Police arrested Salvador Vivas Diaz, 50, and booked him on one count of manslaughter and one count of aggravated assault. Sgt. Andy Hill said there are four warrants for the man's arrest under a different name, two of which are for DUI.
"As he approached S. Roeser Road, a small white pickup truck with two occupants was driving southbound on S. Roeser Road and, according to witnesses and investigators, turned left in front of Officer Figueroa's vehicle," Hill said.
Hill said Diaz slammed his pickup truck into the officer's car west of downtown Phoenix.
"Officer Figueroa suffered fatal injuries during this crash and was pronounced dead at St. Joseph's Hospital," Hill said.
Diaz suffered minor injuries. His passenger was seriously hurt.
"This is another tremendous loss, not only to Officer Figueroa's family, but to the Phoenix Police Department and the community," said Sgt. Andy Hill.
Figueroa leaves behind a wife and a 3-month-old baby girl.
"This has been a terrible tragedy for our department," said Jack Harris, Phoenix police chief. "As you know, we have lost four officers in the past month due to either personal illness or to, in this case, a very tragic accident."
Officers said the collision is still under investigation. "There are a number of factors critical to this investigation that will be determined by lab tests and mathematical calculations," he said.
"Officer Figueroa's dad is a retired officer from the Phoenix Police Department and is currently employed as an officer in the town of Maricopa," Harris said. "His father-in-law is currently a lieutenant with the Mesa Police Department."
Friday, October 24, 2008
TX Illegal Serial Killer
Suspect in border slayings extradited to Mexico
By MARINA MONTEMAYOR – 1 day ago
CIUDAD JUAREZ, MEXICO (AP) — A Mexican citizen who allegedly confessed to killing at least 10 women in the violent border city of Juarez was back in his home country on Wednesday to face justice.
Jose Francisco Granados de la Paz was extradited on Tuesday to stand trial for aggravated homicide in a string of slayings of women, the U.S. Justice Department said. He was expected to appear before a Mexican judge next week.
Granados de la Paz, 30, allegedly acknowledged to Mexican and Texas authorities that he killed at least 10 women near Ciudad Juarez from about 1993 to 2006 as "offerings to Satan," according to the extradition complaint.
The U.S. Justice Department said the extradition is the first use of a special provision of the U.S.-Mexico Extradition Treaty that allows suspects to serve the remainder of their sentence in another country.
In April 2006, Granados de la Paz was sentenced to more than three years in prison for immigration violations in the U.S. He has been serving time at the Lewisburg Federal Prison in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, but will serve the rest of his sentence in Mexico, in addition to any sentence he may receive from a Mexican court.
"By working together, we ensure criminals are brought to justice on both sides of the border," U.S. Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew Friedrich said in a statement.
The extradition request was granted last year and focused on Granados de la Paz's alleged confession to stabbing Mayra Juliana Reyes Solis in 2001.
Her body, and the remains of four other women, were found five months later in a canal in Ciudad Juarez, across the border from El Paso, Texas.
In 2006, Denver police arrested a suspected accomplice, construction worker Edgar Alvarez Cruz, whom Mexican authorities have charged with the killing. Alvarez Cruz owned and was driving the car in which Reyes Solis was killed, according to excerpts from Granados de la Paz's confession that were included in the extradition complaint.
During the decade that ended in 2003, more than 100 women disappeared in Ciudad Juarez. Many of them were young women last seen in the city's downtown area or after boarding buses. The victims' bodies were often dumped in the desert outside the city.
Activists in Ciudad Juarez said they weren't convinced Granados de la Paz was involved in the killings, mostly because previous investigations of the killings had been botched.
"We are going to pay close attention to what Granados de la Paz does, what he says, how he says it, given that he has said he was too high on drugs to have carried out the killings," said Victoria Caraveo of Women in Search of Justice.
By MARINA MONTEMAYOR – 1 day ago
CIUDAD JUAREZ, MEXICO (AP) — A Mexican citizen who allegedly confessed to killing at least 10 women in the violent border city of Juarez was back in his home country on Wednesday to face justice.
Jose Francisco Granados de la Paz was extradited on Tuesday to stand trial for aggravated homicide in a string of slayings of women, the U.S. Justice Department said. He was expected to appear before a Mexican judge next week.
Granados de la Paz, 30, allegedly acknowledged to Mexican and Texas authorities that he killed at least 10 women near Ciudad Juarez from about 1993 to 2006 as "offerings to Satan," according to the extradition complaint.
The U.S. Justice Department said the extradition is the first use of a special provision of the U.S.-Mexico Extradition Treaty that allows suspects to serve the remainder of their sentence in another country.
In April 2006, Granados de la Paz was sentenced to more than three years in prison for immigration violations in the U.S. He has been serving time at the Lewisburg Federal Prison in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, but will serve the rest of his sentence in Mexico, in addition to any sentence he may receive from a Mexican court.
"By working together, we ensure criminals are brought to justice on both sides of the border," U.S. Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew Friedrich said in a statement.
The extradition request was granted last year and focused on Granados de la Paz's alleged confession to stabbing Mayra Juliana Reyes Solis in 2001.
Her body, and the remains of four other women, were found five months later in a canal in Ciudad Juarez, across the border from El Paso, Texas.
In 2006, Denver police arrested a suspected accomplice, construction worker Edgar Alvarez Cruz, whom Mexican authorities have charged with the killing. Alvarez Cruz owned and was driving the car in which Reyes Solis was killed, according to excerpts from Granados de la Paz's confession that were included in the extradition complaint.
During the decade that ended in 2003, more than 100 women disappeared in Ciudad Juarez. Many of them were young women last seen in the city's downtown area or after boarding buses. The victims' bodies were often dumped in the desert outside the city.
Activists in Ciudad Juarez said they weren't convinced Granados de la Paz was involved in the killings, mostly because previous investigations of the killings had been botched.
"We are going to pay close attention to what Granados de la Paz does, what he says, how he says it, given that he has said he was too high on drugs to have carried out the killings," said Victoria Caraveo of Women in Search of Justice.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
NY Deported Illegal kills cops in subway
Immigration probes how shooting suspect got to NYC
By COLLEEN LONG Associated Press Writer
NEW YORK (AP) -- Federal immigration officials are wondering how a man involved in a subway shootout with police officers had re-entered the U.S. after being deported a decade ago after a drug arrest.
The man, Raul Nunez, illegally used a student's fare payment card to enter a subway station during Tuesday evening's rush hour, police said. Two plainclothes transit officers tried to arrest him, and in a struggle he grabbed one of their guns and shot them, police said.
Nunez, who is from the Dominican Republic, reportedly told authorities he resisted because he was afraid he'd be deported again if he were arrested.
Nunez, 32, was deported June 24, 1998, by an immigration judge after a drug arrest in New York. He was charged in Manhattan with selling cocaine to an undercover officer in 1997. He also had a drug conviction in 1996.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents say they're not sure when he re-entered the country.
Officer Shane Farina, who was shot near his sternum and suffered a fractured rib, remained in critical but stable condition Wednesday after undergoing surgery. Officer Jason Maass, who was shot in the lower back, was released early Wednesday from a hospital. Both officers were wearing bulletproof vests, police said.
Farina, 38, joined the police department four years ago. Maass, 28, has been an officer with the department since 2006.
Nunez was shot twice in the left leg and once in the torso and right leg by a nearby police lieutenant as he tried to run away, police said. He was hospitalized under police custody. It wasn't immediately clear what his condition was Wednesday.
He is awaiting arraignment on charges of attempted murder. Federal immigration officials said Nunez also faces a charge of re-entering the country after deportation.
Nunez would face 25 years to life in prison and deportation if convicted.
By COLLEEN LONG Associated Press Writer
NEW YORK (AP) -- Federal immigration officials are wondering how a man involved in a subway shootout with police officers had re-entered the U.S. after being deported a decade ago after a drug arrest.
The man, Raul Nunez, illegally used a student's fare payment card to enter a subway station during Tuesday evening's rush hour, police said. Two plainclothes transit officers tried to arrest him, and in a struggle he grabbed one of their guns and shot them, police said.
Nunez, who is from the Dominican Republic, reportedly told authorities he resisted because he was afraid he'd be deported again if he were arrested.
Nunez, 32, was deported June 24, 1998, by an immigration judge after a drug arrest in New York. He was charged in Manhattan with selling cocaine to an undercover officer in 1997. He also had a drug conviction in 1996.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents say they're not sure when he re-entered the country.
Officer Shane Farina, who was shot near his sternum and suffered a fractured rib, remained in critical but stable condition Wednesday after undergoing surgery. Officer Jason Maass, who was shot in the lower back, was released early Wednesday from a hospital. Both officers were wearing bulletproof vests, police said.
Farina, 38, joined the police department four years ago. Maass, 28, has been an officer with the department since 2006.
Nunez was shot twice in the left leg and once in the torso and right leg by a nearby police lieutenant as he tried to run away, police said. He was hospitalized under police custody. It wasn't immediately clear what his condition was Wednesday.
He is awaiting arraignment on charges of attempted murder. Federal immigration officials said Nunez also faces a charge of re-entering the country after deportation.
Nunez would face 25 years to life in prison and deportation if convicted.
Monday, October 20, 2008
PA Arrested illegals on parol
Arrested Illegal Immigrants Were Paroled Killers
By Michael P. Tremoglie, The Bulletin
Two men arrested Oct. 14 in Reading on drug charges turned out to be paroled killers as well as illegal Cuban immigrants who were ordered to be deported but were not.The two were identified as Pedro Gonzalez-Aguiar, 46 and Pablo Morales-Torres, 56 both of Reading. Mr. Gonzalez-Aguilar was serving a 1984 robbery sentence when he killed a man in Graterford Prison in 1987. He served 16 years of the 11 to 25 year sentence he received for the crime. He was released in 2003.Mr. Morales-Torres was sentenced to 20 years for a 1987 murder committed in Lancaster. He served his entire sentence but was paroled for another offense committed since then. He was also wanted for a 1986 murder in Miami. Although they had been ordered to be deported after their murder convictions, it failed to happen because Cuba does not accept the repatriation of convicted murderers. They were released on the condition they would periodically report to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer, in accordance with current immigration laws. As the law stands, an individual who cannot be expected to be deported cannot be held in custody indefinitely.Jian Liu, an immigration specialist with the Philadelphia law firm of Zarwin, Baum, DeVito, Kaplan, Schaer and Toddy, clarified the law."Individuals cannot be expected to be in custody awaiting deportation forever. ICE reviews the deportation status in 90 days. If they cannot be deported after that time, they are released under an order of supervision," Ms. Liu said. "This means that they are required to report weekly to a specific officer at ICE until deportation can be arranged."There is no limit to how long such a person can be supervised, Ms. Liu said. It is at the discretion of the ICE officer.Last March, U.S. Senator Arlen Specter,R-Pa., the ranking member of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, introduced the Accountability in Immigration Repatriation (AIR) Act of 2008. It would impose sanctions on countries that refuse to take back aliens who have been convicted of crimes in the United States and other aliens who are under a final order of removal. "Streamlining the deportation process and insisting that countries repatriate illegal aliens who have been convicted of crimes of violence will free substantial Immigration and Customs Enforcement resources, which can then be devoted to improving identification and reporting of deportable criminal aliens in federal, state or local custody," Sen. Specter said. "My proposal works to stop criminal aliens from being released onto our streets and helps to close the government's credibility gap on immigration enforcement."
By Michael P. Tremoglie, The Bulletin
Two men arrested Oct. 14 in Reading on drug charges turned out to be paroled killers as well as illegal Cuban immigrants who were ordered to be deported but were not.The two were identified as Pedro Gonzalez-Aguiar, 46 and Pablo Morales-Torres, 56 both of Reading. Mr. Gonzalez-Aguilar was serving a 1984 robbery sentence when he killed a man in Graterford Prison in 1987. He served 16 years of the 11 to 25 year sentence he received for the crime. He was released in 2003.Mr. Morales-Torres was sentenced to 20 years for a 1987 murder committed in Lancaster. He served his entire sentence but was paroled for another offense committed since then. He was also wanted for a 1986 murder in Miami. Although they had been ordered to be deported after their murder convictions, it failed to happen because Cuba does not accept the repatriation of convicted murderers. They were released on the condition they would periodically report to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer, in accordance with current immigration laws. As the law stands, an individual who cannot be expected to be deported cannot be held in custody indefinitely.Jian Liu, an immigration specialist with the Philadelphia law firm of Zarwin, Baum, DeVito, Kaplan, Schaer and Toddy, clarified the law."Individuals cannot be expected to be in custody awaiting deportation forever. ICE reviews the deportation status in 90 days. If they cannot be deported after that time, they are released under an order of supervision," Ms. Liu said. "This means that they are required to report weekly to a specific officer at ICE until deportation can be arranged."There is no limit to how long such a person can be supervised, Ms. Liu said. It is at the discretion of the ICE officer.Last March, U.S. Senator Arlen Specter,R-Pa., the ranking member of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, introduced the Accountability in Immigration Repatriation (AIR) Act of 2008. It would impose sanctions on countries that refuse to take back aliens who have been convicted of crimes in the United States and other aliens who are under a final order of removal. "Streamlining the deportation process and insisting that countries repatriate illegal aliens who have been convicted of crimes of violence will free substantial Immigration and Customs Enforcement resources, which can then be devoted to improving identification and reporting of deportable criminal aliens in federal, state or local custody," Sen. Specter said. "My proposal works to stop criminal aliens from being released onto our streets and helps to close the government's credibility gap on immigration enforcement."
NY Illegal rapist
Police: Illegal alien charged with rape
Arturo Lorenzo Juan Bautista (Auburn Police Photo) Auburn, New York (WSYR-TV) - Auburn Police say an illegal alien living in the city has been charged with rape.Arturo Lorenzo Juan Bautista, 31, of Maple Street, a native of Guatemala has been charged with first degree rape.Around 3:30 a.m. on October 19, Auburn Police responded to a report of sexual assault at a home on Osborne Street.The victim told police she had been raped as she was sleeping. She woke up and attempted to get the suspect off of her, but was held down.She told police that the assault continued until her child came downstairs.Bautista was stopped by a patrol car on Osborne Street and identified by the victim as her assailant.When detectives, with the assistance of an interpreter, learned Bautista was in this country illegally, the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service was contacted and they advised they would investigate the defendant’s citizenship and proceed with further action if warranted.
Arturo Lorenzo Juan Bautista (Auburn Police Photo) Auburn, New York (WSYR-TV) - Auburn Police say an illegal alien living in the city has been charged with rape.Arturo Lorenzo Juan Bautista, 31, of Maple Street, a native of Guatemala has been charged with first degree rape.Around 3:30 a.m. on October 19, Auburn Police responded to a report of sexual assault at a home on Osborne Street.The victim told police she had been raped as she was sleeping. She woke up and attempted to get the suspect off of her, but was held down.She told police that the assault continued until her child came downstairs.Bautista was stopped by a patrol car on Osborne Street and identified by the victim as her assailant.When detectives, with the assistance of an interpreter, learned Bautista was in this country illegally, the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service was contacted and they advised they would investigate the defendant’s citizenship and proceed with further action if warranted.
TX sex offenders return
3 registered sex offenders caught at border station
October 20th, 2008 @ 1:16pm
by Jayme West/KTAR
Three sex offenders were caught entering the U.S. at the Nogales border station over the weekend.
Two are from Mexico and registered as sex offenders in Los Angeles and Colorado. One is from Guatemala and he is registered as a sex offender in northern California.
The Border Patrol says in just the first 11 months of this fiscal year, 460 registered sex offenders have been arrested by the Tucson sector border patrol.
The same sector has arrested more than 44,000 illegal aliens with criminal records during that same time period.
October 20th, 2008 @ 1:16pm
by Jayme West/KTAR
Three sex offenders were caught entering the U.S. at the Nogales border station over the weekend.
Two are from Mexico and registered as sex offenders in Los Angeles and Colorado. One is from Guatemala and he is registered as a sex offender in northern California.
The Border Patrol says in just the first 11 months of this fiscal year, 460 registered sex offenders have been arrested by the Tucson sector border patrol.
The same sector has arrested more than 44,000 illegal aliens with criminal records during that same time period.
MD Illegal home invader murderer
Man accused of home invasions grew increasingly violent October 20, 2008 - 6:23pm
Kate Ryan, WTOP Radio
ROCKVILLE, Md. - The investigation into the home invasions that left one woman dead and local communities shaken isn't over yet, even though the suspect is in jail.
Jose Juan Garcia-Perlera has been in jail since his Oct. 15 arrest, and that's where he's been ordered to stay - without bond - until a preliminary hearing next month.
Montgomery County Police say the 33-year-old Garcia-Perlera grew increasingly violent from the first home invasion robbery in September 2007 to the murder of a Bethesda woman in September.
In one case, Garcia-Perlera allegedly beat and pistol-whipped one of his elderly victims when she discovered him hiding in an outdoor storage area. In other cases, the Hyattsville man allegedly hog-tied his victims. His violent behavior escalated in September, when police say he murdered a woman.
On Sept. 4, 63-year-old Mary Frances Havenstein was found dead inside her Bethesda home on Seven Locks Road. Like the other victims, she had been bound and gagged.
After listening to prosecutors describe some of the facts in the case, a Montgomery County judge ordered Garcia-Perlera, a self-described electrician, held without bond.
Garcia-Perlera is also wanted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and may be responsible for a string of other thefts - including cars - and other crimes, prosecutors says.
Police say they are continuing to investigate.
"As we continue to piece this case together, and investigate his actions, we're determining there are other crimes that he may have been involved with," Montgomery County Police Chief Tom Manger says.
Manger says they're still trying to figure out how Garcia-Perlera, a native of El Salvador, chose his victims.
So far, the police work has been intense, with "teams of people working around the clock," Manger says.
The escalating violence in each attack added to the urgency in the investigation.
"There was a case early on where the victim had asked the suspect to loosen the ropes. He did. That came out later, and became public knowledge so that the following case, he tied the victim up it appears even tighter, and ended up actually injuring the victim," Manger says.
Prosecutors say Garcia-Perlera was a "regular" at a pawn shop, where several of the stolen items turned up.
Manger says police were tracing a laptop stolen from a home on Seven Lock Road just a week before Havenstein was murdered. The laptop led police to Garcia-Perlera.
In a search of his Hyattsville home, police found items linked to other home invasion robberies. A subsequent DNA check also linked Perlera to the home invasions.
As far as police can tell, Garcia-Perlera lived alone in an apartment in Hyattsville. Police are continuing to investigate whether anyone else was involved.
There is no clear motive at this time.
A preliminary court date for Garcia-Perlera is scheduled for Nov. 14.
NV boy kidnapped by mexican drug cartel.
They're heeeeeeeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrre.
KIDNAPPED 6-YEAR-OLD: Police reveal link to drugsDeals involving boy's kin led to incident, authorities say
By LAWRENCE MOWER and FRANCIS MCCABEREVIEW-JOURNAL
The disappearance of 6-year-old Cole Puffinburger this week was related to illegal drug activities involving the boy's family, Las Vegas police said Thursday.
The case involves "significant amounts of money and drugs" and "a number of drug deals that have taken place," Capt. Vincent Cannito said.
He declined to elaborate on the drug deals or who was involved in the scheme, citing the ongoing investigation.
Sources said it's believed that a member of Cole's family owes a Mexican drug cartel between $8 million and $20 million.
Sources described the family member as an alleged money launderer for the cartel. The family member is in hiding.
Authorities have received between 15 to 20 contacts per hour about the boy, although some of those have come from people wanting more information about the suspects, said David Hatch, a consultant with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children who is now working with Las Vegas police on the case.
Police have devoted more than 100 detectives to the case, Cannito said, and the department has several persons of interest. They have some "very significant leads," he said.
The kidnapping, which has sparked a national search involving federal and local authorities, continues to be a race against time, Cannito said.
"The longer we go, the more dangerous this situation becomes," Cannito said.
The Amber Alert for Cole's disappearance has spread to five states. Alerts are displayed on road signs, at truck stops, gas stations, hotels and other high-traffic areas around the country.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Border Patrol agents have been notified to be on the lookout for the suspects, Cannito said. The Federal Bureau of Investigation also is investigating.
Dozens of family and friends of the boy gathered with complete strangers at a Target shopping center at Charleston and Nellis boulevards at nightfall Thursday to pick up fliers and fan out around the valley to pass them out.
Cole's father, Robert Puffinburger, didn't want to talk about the case but asked for his son to be returned safe.
"He's a good kid," the 28-year-old civil engineer said with a smile. "I'm sure he's giving them hell right now."
He had been passing out fliers since Wednesday evening.
Isa Castra and husband Teo said they decided to volunteer to pass out fliers because they're bilingual and thought that they could be helpful in Spanish-speaking neighborhoods.
She said they didn't know Cole or his family.
"If this were to happen with one of our kids, we would want the community to come together for us," Isa Castra said.
Robert Puffinburger seemed to be in a daze as people hugged him and said they were praying for his son.
"It's amazing how a community comes together in times like this," he said.
One of the key pieces of information in the case -- a vehicle description -- has yet to materialize. Police also only have the description of one of the three suspects in the case.
That suspect is described as having black, shoulder-length, slicked-back hair. He is in his early 30s, 5 feet 7 inches tall and about 150 pounds. He was last seen wearing a white T-shirt and blue jeans.
Police said two, possibly three, men claimed to be police officers before they entered Cole's home on Cherry Grove Avenue, near Hollywood and Lake Mead boulevards, about 7:15 a.m.
The men demanded money, and the boy's mother and her fiance told them they didn't have any, police said. The men used zip ties to restrain the two, gagged them and searched the house, police said.
When they didn't find money, they took Cole and fled in a vehicle, police said.
"This is about as bad as it gets," Cannito said.
According to America's Most Wanted's Web site, which cited "investigators," the men who burst into Cole's east valley home Wednesday morning were looking for the boy's grandfather, who hasn't lived at the home since last year.
Cannito declined to confirm that report.
Hatch, who has worked for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children since retiring as a homicide detective with Las Vegas police, said police canvassed the neighborhood Thursday.
They stopped cars, went door-to-door and interviewed dozens of people, he said. People of particular interest for information were those who drive regular routes through the neighborhood, such as delivery workers, he said.
He said the viciousness of the attack concerned him.
"These are trusting people," Hatch said of the family. "They said 'police,' so they opened the door to see what was going on."
Cannito continued to urge the public for information on Cole's whereabouts.
Cole is 3 feet 11 inches tall, 48 pounds and has distinctly stained front teeth. He has blond hair and blue eyes.
The boy was last seen wearing a black John Cena WWE wrestling shirt, dark jeans, a belt, black Vans shoes, white socks and a black, zip-up hooded sweat shirt with white, black and blue stars over it.
KIDNAPPED 6-YEAR-OLD: Police reveal link to drugsDeals involving boy's kin led to incident, authorities say
By LAWRENCE MOWER and FRANCIS MCCABEREVIEW-JOURNAL
The disappearance of 6-year-old Cole Puffinburger this week was related to illegal drug activities involving the boy's family, Las Vegas police said Thursday.
The case involves "significant amounts of money and drugs" and "a number of drug deals that have taken place," Capt. Vincent Cannito said.
He declined to elaborate on the drug deals or who was involved in the scheme, citing the ongoing investigation.
Sources said it's believed that a member of Cole's family owes a Mexican drug cartel between $8 million and $20 million.
Sources described the family member as an alleged money launderer for the cartel. The family member is in hiding.
Authorities have received between 15 to 20 contacts per hour about the boy, although some of those have come from people wanting more information about the suspects, said David Hatch, a consultant with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children who is now working with Las Vegas police on the case.
Police have devoted more than 100 detectives to the case, Cannito said, and the department has several persons of interest. They have some "very significant leads," he said.
The kidnapping, which has sparked a national search involving federal and local authorities, continues to be a race against time, Cannito said.
"The longer we go, the more dangerous this situation becomes," Cannito said.
The Amber Alert for Cole's disappearance has spread to five states. Alerts are displayed on road signs, at truck stops, gas stations, hotels and other high-traffic areas around the country.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Border Patrol agents have been notified to be on the lookout for the suspects, Cannito said. The Federal Bureau of Investigation also is investigating.
Dozens of family and friends of the boy gathered with complete strangers at a Target shopping center at Charleston and Nellis boulevards at nightfall Thursday to pick up fliers and fan out around the valley to pass them out.
Cole's father, Robert Puffinburger, didn't want to talk about the case but asked for his son to be returned safe.
"He's a good kid," the 28-year-old civil engineer said with a smile. "I'm sure he's giving them hell right now."
He had been passing out fliers since Wednesday evening.
Isa Castra and husband Teo said they decided to volunteer to pass out fliers because they're bilingual and thought that they could be helpful in Spanish-speaking neighborhoods.
She said they didn't know Cole or his family.
"If this were to happen with one of our kids, we would want the community to come together for us," Isa Castra said.
Robert Puffinburger seemed to be in a daze as people hugged him and said they were praying for his son.
"It's amazing how a community comes together in times like this," he said.
One of the key pieces of information in the case -- a vehicle description -- has yet to materialize. Police also only have the description of one of the three suspects in the case.
That suspect is described as having black, shoulder-length, slicked-back hair. He is in his early 30s, 5 feet 7 inches tall and about 150 pounds. He was last seen wearing a white T-shirt and blue jeans.
Police said two, possibly three, men claimed to be police officers before they entered Cole's home on Cherry Grove Avenue, near Hollywood and Lake Mead boulevards, about 7:15 a.m.
The men demanded money, and the boy's mother and her fiance told them they didn't have any, police said. The men used zip ties to restrain the two, gagged them and searched the house, police said.
When they didn't find money, they took Cole and fled in a vehicle, police said.
"This is about as bad as it gets," Cannito said.
According to America's Most Wanted's Web site, which cited "investigators," the men who burst into Cole's east valley home Wednesday morning were looking for the boy's grandfather, who hasn't lived at the home since last year.
Cannito declined to confirm that report.
Hatch, who has worked for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children since retiring as a homicide detective with Las Vegas police, said police canvassed the neighborhood Thursday.
They stopped cars, went door-to-door and interviewed dozens of people, he said. People of particular interest for information were those who drive regular routes through the neighborhood, such as delivery workers, he said.
He said the viciousness of the attack concerned him.
"These are trusting people," Hatch said of the family. "They said 'police,' so they opened the door to see what was going on."
Cannito continued to urge the public for information on Cole's whereabouts.
Cole is 3 feet 11 inches tall, 48 pounds and has distinctly stained front teeth. He has blond hair and blue eyes.
The boy was last seen wearing a black John Cena WWE wrestling shirt, dark jeans, a belt, black Vans shoes, white socks and a black, zip-up hooded sweat shirt with white, black and blue stars over it.
Monday, September 08, 2008
CO Illegal crashes into ice cream shop
ICE holds driver in crash
Aurora hit-run killed 2 women in pickup, 3-year-old in ice cream shop
By Kirk Mitchell and Ann SchraderThe Denver Post
Sep 4:
AURORA — As new questions arose about the man police say is responsible for the tragedy, several hundred friends and relatives gathered Saturday night outside an ice cream shop to mourn three lives suddenly lost.
"It hurts now," said Vito Kudlis, surrounded by friends as he and his wife, Enely, wept for their 3-year-old son, Marten. "It is freaky. It is crazy."
Marten, Patricia Guntharp, 49, of Centennial and Debra Serecky, 51, of Aurora all died when a Thursday night collision caused vehicles to careen into the Baskin-Robbins at the corner of South Havana Street and East Mississippi Avenue.
Saturday night, they were remembered in a candlelight vigil. Small children held glow sticks as others added stuffed animals —
The mother of a boy killed while eating ice cream at a Baskin Robbins Thursday night brings his toy to the scene Friday morning at 1155 S. Havana St. in Aurora, Colorado. She left it at the scene, as well as a photograph of her son. (THE DENVER POST Brian Brainerd)especially bears — to a memorial.
Francis Hernandez, the man being held for suspicion of vehicular homicide in the deaths, is now being detained by federal immigration officials.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials sent a faxed detainer on Hernandez, 23, at 12:04 a.m. Saturday, indicating his U.S. citizenship is under question, according to Arapahoe County jail officials and federal authorities.
Hernandez has been arrested 16 times in five years in Colorado but apparently has never been deported, according to Colorado Bureau of Investigation records.
On Friday, Aurora authorities had indicated they believed he was a U.S. citizen.
Hernandez had been arrested in Denver as recently as July 18 on a traffic stop and charged with numerous crimes, including resisting police, CBI records say. Had he been held on an ICE detainer at that time, he would have been jailed until his case was completed and his sentence served and then deported, a time-consuming process.
Hernandez is now being held on the ICE detainer and for investigation of three counts of vehicular homicide, reckless driving and hit and run in Thursday night's accident, Aurora police spokesman Lt. John Sopranuk said.
His bail was
Marten Kudlis' father, Marat, is consoled as he visits the scene Friday where the 3-year-old was killed Thursday night. (Brian Brainerd, The Denver Post )raised Friday from $10,000 to $100,000, according to Sgt. Lisa Grosskruger of the Arapahoe County jail.
Sopranuk said Hernandez was driving a Chevy Suburban rapidly and erratically south on South Havana shortly after 8 p.m. Thursday. Police said he ran a red light at the intersection of Mississippi and Havana.
The SUV hit a northbound white Mazda pickup carrying Guntharp and Serecky, which was turning into the Good Times burger outlet. The impact sent the truck more than 100 feet into the corner of the Baskin-Robbins in the Market Square shopping center.
The two women were killed by the impact and Marten suffered fatal injuries from flying debris.
Dating back to 2003, Hernandez has been arrested for mostly misdemeanor
A photo of the child and his stuffed toy were left at the scene of the accident Friday morning at 1155 S. Havana St. in Aurora, Colorado. (THE DENVER POST Brian Brainerd)offenses 16 times by police officers in Denver, Longmont, Aurora, Westminster, Lakewood and Broomfield and sheriff's deputies in Boulder, Gilpin and Arapahoe counties, according to Colorado Bureau of Investigation records. His charges have included forgery, assault, theft, fraud and driving under restraint.
Sopranuk said Friday that Hernandez was born in California and is a U.S. citizen.
But he added that detectives could find no indication that he had ever held a driver's license in California or Colorado.
Also according to CBI records, Hernandez, who has 11 aliases and two listed birth dates, has four listed birth places, including Mexico.
ICE placed a detainer because of indications he was born outside the country, said
The scene Friday morning at 1155 S. Havana St. in Aurora where three died when a small pickup crashed into a Baskin Robbins ice cream shop Thursday night, Sept. 4, 2008. (THE DENVER POST Brian Brainerd)ICE spokesman Carl Rusnok. Officers are currently investigating his citizenship, he said.
When ICE did not place a hold on Hernandez following his July 18 arrest, he was released and has since been listed as a fugitive, according to CBI records.
There were multiple warrants for his arrest when the fatal accident happened Thursday, Sopranuk said.
Sopranuk could not be reached for comment Saturday.
Rusnok said it is possible that if Hernandez is in the country illegally that his status was not checked or identified previously despite numerous arrests.
He said in some instances suspects are arrested for minor offenses and they are released on bail or serve short sentences before a citizenship check is done.
ICE places a priority on deporting illegal immigrants who have been arrested for crimes, Rusnok said. Sometimes ICE agents make regular visits to jails checking for suspects illegally in the country, he said.
Back at the ice cream shop on Saturday night, the family announced that Marten's funeral will be 10 a.m. Wednesday at Fairmont Cemetery. Arrangements for Guntharp and Serecky are pending.
A "Memory of Marten Fund" has been established at Bank of the West.
Aurora hit-run killed 2 women in pickup, 3-year-old in ice cream shop
By Kirk Mitchell and Ann SchraderThe Denver Post
Sep 4:
AURORA — As new questions arose about the man police say is responsible for the tragedy, several hundred friends and relatives gathered Saturday night outside an ice cream shop to mourn three lives suddenly lost.
"It hurts now," said Vito Kudlis, surrounded by friends as he and his wife, Enely, wept for their 3-year-old son, Marten. "It is freaky. It is crazy."
Marten, Patricia Guntharp, 49, of Centennial and Debra Serecky, 51, of Aurora all died when a Thursday night collision caused vehicles to careen into the Baskin-Robbins at the corner of South Havana Street and East Mississippi Avenue.
Saturday night, they were remembered in a candlelight vigil. Small children held glow sticks as others added stuffed animals —
The mother of a boy killed while eating ice cream at a Baskin Robbins Thursday night brings his toy to the scene Friday morning at 1155 S. Havana St. in Aurora, Colorado. She left it at the scene, as well as a photograph of her son. (THE DENVER POST Brian Brainerd)especially bears — to a memorial.
Francis Hernandez, the man being held for suspicion of vehicular homicide in the deaths, is now being detained by federal immigration officials.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials sent a faxed detainer on Hernandez, 23, at 12:04 a.m. Saturday, indicating his U.S. citizenship is under question, according to Arapahoe County jail officials and federal authorities.
Hernandez has been arrested 16 times in five years in Colorado but apparently has never been deported, according to Colorado Bureau of Investigation records.
On Friday, Aurora authorities had indicated they believed he was a U.S. citizen.
Hernandez had been arrested in Denver as recently as July 18 on a traffic stop and charged with numerous crimes, including resisting police, CBI records say. Had he been held on an ICE detainer at that time, he would have been jailed until his case was completed and his sentence served and then deported, a time-consuming process.
Hernandez is now being held on the ICE detainer and for investigation of three counts of vehicular homicide, reckless driving and hit and run in Thursday night's accident, Aurora police spokesman Lt. John Sopranuk said.
His bail was
Marten Kudlis' father, Marat, is consoled as he visits the scene Friday where the 3-year-old was killed Thursday night. (Brian Brainerd, The Denver Post )raised Friday from $10,000 to $100,000, according to Sgt. Lisa Grosskruger of the Arapahoe County jail.
Sopranuk said Hernandez was driving a Chevy Suburban rapidly and erratically south on South Havana shortly after 8 p.m. Thursday. Police said he ran a red light at the intersection of Mississippi and Havana.
The SUV hit a northbound white Mazda pickup carrying Guntharp and Serecky, which was turning into the Good Times burger outlet. The impact sent the truck more than 100 feet into the corner of the Baskin-Robbins in the Market Square shopping center.
The two women were killed by the impact and Marten suffered fatal injuries from flying debris.
Dating back to 2003, Hernandez has been arrested for mostly misdemeanor
A photo of the child and his stuffed toy were left at the scene of the accident Friday morning at 1155 S. Havana St. in Aurora, Colorado. (THE DENVER POST Brian Brainerd)offenses 16 times by police officers in Denver, Longmont, Aurora, Westminster, Lakewood and Broomfield and sheriff's deputies in Boulder, Gilpin and Arapahoe counties, according to Colorado Bureau of Investigation records. His charges have included forgery, assault, theft, fraud and driving under restraint.
Sopranuk said Friday that Hernandez was born in California and is a U.S. citizen.
But he added that detectives could find no indication that he had ever held a driver's license in California or Colorado.
Also according to CBI records, Hernandez, who has 11 aliases and two listed birth dates, has four listed birth places, including Mexico.
ICE placed a detainer because of indications he was born outside the country, said
The scene Friday morning at 1155 S. Havana St. in Aurora where three died when a small pickup crashed into a Baskin Robbins ice cream shop Thursday night, Sept. 4, 2008. (THE DENVER POST Brian Brainerd)ICE spokesman Carl Rusnok. Officers are currently investigating his citizenship, he said.
When ICE did not place a hold on Hernandez following his July 18 arrest, he was released and has since been listed as a fugitive, according to CBI records.
There were multiple warrants for his arrest when the fatal accident happened Thursday, Sopranuk said.
Sopranuk could not be reached for comment Saturday.
Rusnok said it is possible that if Hernandez is in the country illegally that his status was not checked or identified previously despite numerous arrests.
He said in some instances suspects are arrested for minor offenses and they are released on bail or serve short sentences before a citizenship check is done.
ICE places a priority on deporting illegal immigrants who have been arrested for crimes, Rusnok said. Sometimes ICE agents make regular visits to jails checking for suspects illegally in the country, he said.
Back at the ice cream shop on Saturday night, the family announced that Marten's funeral will be 10 a.m. Wednesday at Fairmont Cemetery. Arrangements for Guntharp and Serecky are pending.
A "Memory of Marten Fund" has been established at Bank of the West.
Friday, August 15, 2008
CA Armed illegal pot grower
Mexican national arrested in pot bust near Mount Hamilton
By Gideon Rubin The Daily Review
Article Launched: 08/13/2008 06:41:02 PM PDT
McGLINCHEY SPRINGS — Operating on tips from a deer hunter and a private citizen, Alameda County and Santa Clara County sheriff's deputies raided a massive outdoor marijuana farm Tuesday, eradicating what's thought to be an Alameda County-record 7,000 plants, estimated to be worth $20 million, and arresting one of two suspected growers, authorities said.
Deputies found two marijuana gardens on private property in McGlinchey Springs amid rugged terrain covering about 40,000 square feet stretched across the Alameda County's southern border into part of Santa Clara County in the shadow of Mount Hamilton, Alameda County sheriff's Sgt. Shawn Peterson said.
Eziquiel Sandoval, 30, of Mexico, was arrested on multiple felony counts, Peterson said. His immigration status was not immediately known. A second suspect, about 5-foot-5 and weighing about 135 pounds, escaped through some brush, the sergeant said.
The growers clear-cut old-growth forest and pine trees and treated the area around the plants with animal poisons that will eventually run off into pristine creeks that feed into Lake Del Valle in Livermore — a "major (Environmental Protection Agency) foul," Peterson said. The garden was irrigated with water siphoned from a ranch three-quarters of a mile away, according to deputies.
Sandoval was found in possession of a loaded Glock 19 semiautomatic handgun and additional ammunition, Peterson said. He was arrested for cultivating
marijuana, possession of a firearm, and possession of a firearm in the commission of a felony, Peterson said, and taken to Santa Clara County Jail.
"Deer hunters, cattle ranchers or private land owners hiking on these properties coming across an armed man growing several thousand plants could be a dangerous situation," Peterson said.
Deputies found propane tanks, clothing, and food supplies in makeshift shelters the accused growers were apparently living in for several months, Peterson said. Their encampment was some seven or so miles from the nearest paved road at an elevation Peterson estimated to be about 3,000 feet.
Mountain lions, deer and wild pigs were spotted in the area, he said.
"It was like we were in the wilderness," Peterson said. "It's not something you'd expect to see that close to a metropolitan area."
By Gideon Rubin The Daily Review
Article Launched: 08/13/2008 06:41:02 PM PDT
McGLINCHEY SPRINGS — Operating on tips from a deer hunter and a private citizen, Alameda County and Santa Clara County sheriff's deputies raided a massive outdoor marijuana farm Tuesday, eradicating what's thought to be an Alameda County-record 7,000 plants, estimated to be worth $20 million, and arresting one of two suspected growers, authorities said.
Deputies found two marijuana gardens on private property in McGlinchey Springs amid rugged terrain covering about 40,000 square feet stretched across the Alameda County's southern border into part of Santa Clara County in the shadow of Mount Hamilton, Alameda County sheriff's Sgt. Shawn Peterson said.
Eziquiel Sandoval, 30, of Mexico, was arrested on multiple felony counts, Peterson said. His immigration status was not immediately known. A second suspect, about 5-foot-5 and weighing about 135 pounds, escaped through some brush, the sergeant said.
The growers clear-cut old-growth forest and pine trees and treated the area around the plants with animal poisons that will eventually run off into pristine creeks that feed into Lake Del Valle in Livermore — a "major (Environmental Protection Agency) foul," Peterson said. The garden was irrigated with water siphoned from a ranch three-quarters of a mile away, according to deputies.
Sandoval was found in possession of a loaded Glock 19 semiautomatic handgun and additional ammunition, Peterson said. He was arrested for cultivating
marijuana, possession of a firearm, and possession of a firearm in the commission of a felony, Peterson said, and taken to Santa Clara County Jail.
"Deer hunters, cattle ranchers or private land owners hiking on these properties coming across an armed man growing several thousand plants could be a dangerous situation," Peterson said.
Deputies found propane tanks, clothing, and food supplies in makeshift shelters the accused growers were apparently living in for several months, Peterson said. Their encampment was some seven or so miles from the nearest paved road at an elevation Peterson estimated to be about 3,000 feet.
Mountain lions, deer and wild pigs were spotted in the area, he said.
"It was like we were in the wilderness," Peterson said. "It's not something you'd expect to see that close to a metropolitan area."
FL Illegal molester
OCALA - A 25-year-old man was charged Thursday with sexual battery on a child after he reportedly molested a 6-year-old girl, according to a Sheriff’s Office report.
MARION COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE
Ricardo Amaya
The girl told investigators that Ricardo Amaya put her on a bed, pull her pants down and molested her. The girl said that when she tried to scream Amaya covered her mouth.
The girl told officials that she reported the incident to her mother, who in turn called deputies.
Amaya, who is an undocumented immigrant, was brought to the Sheriff’s Office for an interview. He declined to say anything.
He was then taken to the Marion County Jail.
- Austin L. Miller
MARION COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE
Ricardo Amaya
The girl told investigators that Ricardo Amaya put her on a bed, pull her pants down and molested her. The girl said that when she tried to scream Amaya covered her mouth.
The girl told officials that she reported the incident to her mother, who in turn called deputies.
Amaya, who is an undocumented immigrant, was brought to the Sheriff’s Office for an interview. He declined to say anything.
He was then taken to the Marion County Jail.
- Austin L. Miller
TN Boy run over by illegal
Slideshow
Family members say 5 year-old Frank Brooks "was a happy, smiling kid."
MEMPHIS, TN - Tate County officials say a man was drunk when he hit a small boy with his SUV and drove away.
Jaime Perez, 35, is charged with DUI, leaving the scene of an accident and driving without a license. Investigators also believe Perez is an illegal immigrant. He is accused of hitting 5 year-old Frank Brooks on County Line Road in Tate County.
The boy's parents talked only to Eyewitness News Everywhere about the accident they say happened just a few feet away from the family's home.
"He was a happy, smiling kid. They would call him 'Frankie Blue Eyes,'" said Frank's mother, Frankie.
"My brother and I... we had our sons a day apart. It's really hard. I loved him like my own," said Frank's uncle, Mike Brooks.
Family members say Frank was an angel, who was loving and full of energy. He was killed on Saturday, May 24, 2008, right in front of his brother and sister. The day before he was hit, the family says it rained and Frank wanted to play in the mud with his brother and sister. Family members say Frank walked to the side of the road to pick up his sister's shoe, and that is when he was hit.
"He had blood coming out of his ears, his eyes were still open," said Frankie. "He didn't have time to blink or hurt. It was over that fast."
Eyewitnesses say after Frank was hit, the driver went racing down the street in his Ford Excursion. Police say he lost control of the SUV and veered off the road.
"Someone had said there were beer bottles in his vehicle. He didn't say a word to anyone," said Frankie. Frankie said her son was not breathing and died in her arms on the side of the road.
While federal immigration officials try to decide if Perez will be deported, Frank's family is left to deal with the grief.
"We'll never have another birthday for him or holiday," said uncle Mike. "It's tough knowing he's missing out on all these things. I loved him very much. I'll always love him every day that goes by."
According to the Tate County Sheriff, Perez is being held without bond. Officials say Perez had a Tennessee identification card, but say he had Mexican documents with him as well, plus some questionable social security cards.
Monday, February 25, 2008
MN- Illegal Woman kills kids on bus
Heartbreaking for the parents of these kids.
Van driver in fatal Cottonwood bus crash is identified
By CHAO XIONG, PAM LOUWAGIE and CURT BROWN, Star Tribune
February 25, 2008
MARSHALL, MINN. - The woman in the Lyon County jail facing charges in last week's deaths of four children is a 24-year-old from Guatemala who is in the United States illegally and had been using an alias, according to immigration officials.
They said Monday that Olga Marina Franco has been using the fake name of Alianiss Nunez Morales.
The woman was charged Friday in Lyon County District Court with four counts of criminal vehicular homicide, driving without a license and running a stop sign.
That Franco's fingerprints didn't show up in U.S. immigration databases "would indicate she had not yet in any way been encountered by immigration officials," ICE agents or citizenship workers, said Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesman Carl Rusnok, in a telephone interview from Dallas.
Immigration authorities wouldn't say precisely how they figured out Franco's identity.
During their investigation after last Tuesday's crash, ICE officials said they showed a photograph to relatives of an Alianiss Morales in Puerto Rico. The people there said she wasn't the same person as woman being jailed in Marshall.
Franco initially told investigators she was from Mexico.
Customs officials have placed a detainer on Franco, meaning that if she is released from the Lyon County jail for any reason, she will be turned over to federal authorities to face deportation.
A Marshall resident who said he is a cousin of Franco's said family members don't know how Franco ended up with the false identity, adding: "It was very hard for us to sustain that lie."
Relatives said Franco looked shocked and scared in the hospital and in the courthouse after the crash, said the cousin.
The cousin added that Franco was "goodhearted."
"Just like everybody else, she came to this country for the American Dream ... all those dreams are shattered with this," the cousin said.
The cousin said that neither he nor other relatives wanted to identify themselves for fear their children might be harassed.
Franco moved to the United States three or four years ago, briefly living in Virginia before coming to live with friends in Montevideo, Minn., and then moving in with cousins in Marshall, the cousin said.
But Franco left Marshall to live in Willmar and "ended up hanging out with the wrong people," the cousin said. She worked for several months at the Jennie-O plant in Willmar before taking a job in Cottonwood, which is about 140 miles west of the Twin Cities. Franco had told relatives that she'd recently moved to the town of Minneota with her boyfriend, whom they didn't know, to be closer to her job with a cabinet maker in Cottonwood.
Franco said the boyfriend was in the van when the crash took place but fled the scene, leaving her pinned inside with a broken leg, according to the cousin.
Investigators have heard rumors that a man was in the van with Franco, but the investigation and interviews so far have not supported that, said Lt. Brian West of the Minnesota State Patrol.
Funerals and politics
Lakeview School in Cottonwood was closed Monday as brothers Jesse and Hunter Javens were buried. Jesse was 13 and Hunter, who had a twin sister, would have turned 10 Monday.
Services were held Sunday for Emilee Olson, 9, and are scheduled at 2 p.m. Thursday at the school for Reed Stevens, 12.
"We keep praying for those families," Franco's cousin said. "I've got my own kids too. They ride buses to school, too."
Of the 14 people injured in the crash, five remain hospitalized, including pickup driver James Hancock, who has been upgraded to good condition at a Sioux Falls, S.D., hospital.
Hancock said he saw Franco's van go through the stop sign and strike the bus, which tipped over on to his pickup. Two other children are listed in good condition and two others are in fair condition.
Public outcry from around the state and country thrust the local tragedy into the heated national debate over illegal immigration.
In Washington, Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., sent a letter to immigration officials, asking why no action was taken when Franco (using Morales' name) was convicted in 2006 of driving without a license. She was driving erratically and wound up on the lawn of a Montevideo home.
Calls for community 'outrage'
E-mails and phone calls from across the state and country began pouring into the offices of area officials and of the Marshall Independent, the area's daily newspaper,.
"It's a brewing fire storm," said Minnesota House Minority Leader Marty Seifert, R-Marshall. "The immigration issue has heated enormously over this."
The Independent ran a letter to the editor Monday from a city council member in South Carolina who wrote, "I hope your community gets outraged. ... As long as we cater and pander to these people the more tragedies we are going to continue to read about throughout this country."
Editor Dana Yost said his newspaper has received 100 or so e-mails and some have been "very mean-spirited. There hasn't been a middle ground."
Seifert said his office has received up to four dozen e-mails and calls about immigration since the accident. Sen. Dennis Frederickson, R-New Ulm, said he's received about two dozen e-mails.
U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman's office received a number of calls and e-mails from Minnesotans who want the government to "get serious about addressing our immigration system," according to his press secretary, LeRoy Coleman.
Lawmakers have so far concentrated on offering their condolences to family members of the dead and injured, and reiterating the need to enforce existing immigration laws.
Residents of Marshall and Cottonwood, where many residents are close to the victims, have offered differing views about Franco's immigrant status.
"Boy, I was mad," said Randy Seiler, a life-long Marshall resident. "I was mad, honestly. There is no control anymore on what's going on. There's going to be some tension."
As she left the memorial service for the Javens brothers at Lakeview School, Lisa Coil of Montevideo said: "It doesn't matter who [Franco] is, whether she's illegal or not. She still killed four kids."
At Mike's Cafe in Marshall on Monday, the morning's discussion turned philosophical among a circle of old friends.
Franco's immigrant status is a topic of conversation, they said, adding that local reactions seemed less heated than those from outside the area.
"If she was an American citizen without a license -- we have a lot of those -- would it be more tragic?" said Tom Wyffels of Marshall. "It doesn't make any difference to me if you're killed by an American with a license or a non-American without a license."
Van driver in fatal Cottonwood bus crash is identified
By CHAO XIONG, PAM LOUWAGIE and CURT BROWN, Star Tribune
February 25, 2008
MARSHALL, MINN. - The woman in the Lyon County jail facing charges in last week's deaths of four children is a 24-year-old from Guatemala who is in the United States illegally and had been using an alias, according to immigration officials.
They said Monday that Olga Marina Franco has been using the fake name of Alianiss Nunez Morales.
The woman was charged Friday in Lyon County District Court with four counts of criminal vehicular homicide, driving without a license and running a stop sign.
That Franco's fingerprints didn't show up in U.S. immigration databases "would indicate she had not yet in any way been encountered by immigration officials," ICE agents or citizenship workers, said Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesman Carl Rusnok, in a telephone interview from Dallas.
Immigration authorities wouldn't say precisely how they figured out Franco's identity.
During their investigation after last Tuesday's crash, ICE officials said they showed a photograph to relatives of an Alianiss Morales in Puerto Rico. The people there said she wasn't the same person as woman being jailed in Marshall.
Franco initially told investigators she was from Mexico.
Customs officials have placed a detainer on Franco, meaning that if she is released from the Lyon County jail for any reason, she will be turned over to federal authorities to face deportation.
A Marshall resident who said he is a cousin of Franco's said family members don't know how Franco ended up with the false identity, adding: "It was very hard for us to sustain that lie."
Relatives said Franco looked shocked and scared in the hospital and in the courthouse after the crash, said the cousin.
The cousin added that Franco was "goodhearted."
"Just like everybody else, she came to this country for the American Dream ... all those dreams are shattered with this," the cousin said.
The cousin said that neither he nor other relatives wanted to identify themselves for fear their children might be harassed.
Franco moved to the United States three or four years ago, briefly living in Virginia before coming to live with friends in Montevideo, Minn., and then moving in with cousins in Marshall, the cousin said.
But Franco left Marshall to live in Willmar and "ended up hanging out with the wrong people," the cousin said. She worked for several months at the Jennie-O plant in Willmar before taking a job in Cottonwood, which is about 140 miles west of the Twin Cities. Franco had told relatives that she'd recently moved to the town of Minneota with her boyfriend, whom they didn't know, to be closer to her job with a cabinet maker in Cottonwood.
Franco said the boyfriend was in the van when the crash took place but fled the scene, leaving her pinned inside with a broken leg, according to the cousin.
Investigators have heard rumors that a man was in the van with Franco, but the investigation and interviews so far have not supported that, said Lt. Brian West of the Minnesota State Patrol.
Funerals and politics
Lakeview School in Cottonwood was closed Monday as brothers Jesse and Hunter Javens were buried. Jesse was 13 and Hunter, who had a twin sister, would have turned 10 Monday.
Services were held Sunday for Emilee Olson, 9, and are scheduled at 2 p.m. Thursday at the school for Reed Stevens, 12.
"We keep praying for those families," Franco's cousin said. "I've got my own kids too. They ride buses to school, too."
Of the 14 people injured in the crash, five remain hospitalized, including pickup driver James Hancock, who has been upgraded to good condition at a Sioux Falls, S.D., hospital.
Hancock said he saw Franco's van go through the stop sign and strike the bus, which tipped over on to his pickup. Two other children are listed in good condition and two others are in fair condition.
Public outcry from around the state and country thrust the local tragedy into the heated national debate over illegal immigration.
In Washington, Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., sent a letter to immigration officials, asking why no action was taken when Franco (using Morales' name) was convicted in 2006 of driving without a license. She was driving erratically and wound up on the lawn of a Montevideo home.
Calls for community 'outrage'
E-mails and phone calls from across the state and country began pouring into the offices of area officials and of the Marshall Independent, the area's daily newspaper,.
"It's a brewing fire storm," said Minnesota House Minority Leader Marty Seifert, R-Marshall. "The immigration issue has heated enormously over this."
The Independent ran a letter to the editor Monday from a city council member in South Carolina who wrote, "I hope your community gets outraged. ... As long as we cater and pander to these people the more tragedies we are going to continue to read about throughout this country."
Editor Dana Yost said his newspaper has received 100 or so e-mails and some have been "very mean-spirited. There hasn't been a middle ground."
Seifert said his office has received up to four dozen e-mails and calls about immigration since the accident. Sen. Dennis Frederickson, R-New Ulm, said he's received about two dozen e-mails.
U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman's office received a number of calls and e-mails from Minnesotans who want the government to "get serious about addressing our immigration system," according to his press secretary, LeRoy Coleman.
Lawmakers have so far concentrated on offering their condolences to family members of the dead and injured, and reiterating the need to enforce existing immigration laws.
Residents of Marshall and Cottonwood, where many residents are close to the victims, have offered differing views about Franco's immigrant status.
"Boy, I was mad," said Randy Seiler, a life-long Marshall resident. "I was mad, honestly. There is no control anymore on what's going on. There's going to be some tension."
As she left the memorial service for the Javens brothers at Lakeview School, Lisa Coil of Montevideo said: "It doesn't matter who [Franco] is, whether she's illegal or not. She still killed four kids."
At Mike's Cafe in Marshall on Monday, the morning's discussion turned philosophical among a circle of old friends.
Franco's immigrant status is a topic of conversation, they said, adding that local reactions seemed less heated than those from outside the area.
"If she was an American citizen without a license -- we have a lot of those -- would it be more tragic?" said Tom Wyffels of Marshall. "It doesn't make any difference to me if you're killed by an American with a license or a non-American without a license."
TX Illegal driver kills Deputy
Click2Houston.com
Driver Charged In Collision That Killed Deputy
100 Club Accepts Donations For Deputy's Family
POSTED: 6:50 am CST February 22, 2008
UPDATED: 6:12 pm CST February 22, 2008
HOUSTON -- A man has been charged with criminally negligent homicide after a sheriff's deputy was killed in a collision with a truck on Thursday, KPRC Local 2 reported.
Harris County sheriff's deputies said Deputy Craig Miller, 43, died when his undercover unit collided with a truck in west Houston.
Officials said Jose Vieyra was driving a box truck when he left a car dealership, crossed all three lanes of the Katy Freeway eastbound feeder road near Mason Road and hit the deputy's unmarked sport utility vehicle shortly before 8 p.m.
Vieyra was trying to get to the ramp to enter the freeway, deputies said.
Miller's SUV flipped over several times and almost went onto the freeway. Miller was killed instantly.
Officials said Miller is survived by his wife Michele, and a young son and daughter. He worked for the department for 20 years.
Detectives said Vieyra, 56, is in the United States illegally. Police said he entered the country on a work visa that expired.
He was booked into the Harris County Jail and had bond set at $35,000. Vieyra was not injured in the collision.
"There's no indication at this point that alcohol was a factor or anything like that. The basis for the charge is the fact that he failed to yield the right-of-way to oncoming traffic," said Capt. John Martin with the Harris County Sheriff's Office.
Miller worked for the investigative support services division. He was returning from an investigative operation in the Copperfield area, officials said.
"The people that worked with him -- they're just devastated. They had tremendous respect for him," Martin said.
"It's really a very sad, traumatic thing to happen to us and to anybody else," Maj. Juan George said. "We're just terribly sorry that this happened to him."
Deputies said Miller's death reminded them to that their lives could end in an instant.
"It's amazing how short our life is and they're talking about getting their things in order and that kind of thing because you never know when something's going to happen, regardless of what kind of work you're in," George said.
Fund For Deputy's Family
The 100 Club is accepting donations to its "Survivor's Fund," which provides benefits to the dependents of peace officers and firefighters killed in the line of duty.
Donations can be sent to the following address:
100 Club Survivor's Fund1233 West Loop S., Suite 1250Houston, TX 77027
Donations can also be made online at www.the100club.org or over the phone at 713-952-0100.
A $10,000 check will be given immediately to Miller's wife to assist with any immediate needs they may have. Additional 100 Club financial support for the Miller family will be provided, after a review, to include current financial and children's educational needs, according to authorities.
Driver Charged In Collision That Killed Deputy
100 Club Accepts Donations For Deputy's Family
POSTED: 6:50 am CST February 22, 2008
UPDATED: 6:12 pm CST February 22, 2008
HOUSTON -- A man has been charged with criminally negligent homicide after a sheriff's deputy was killed in a collision with a truck on Thursday, KPRC Local 2 reported.
Harris County sheriff's deputies said Deputy Craig Miller, 43, died when his undercover unit collided with a truck in west Houston.
Officials said Jose Vieyra was driving a box truck when he left a car dealership, crossed all three lanes of the Katy Freeway eastbound feeder road near Mason Road and hit the deputy's unmarked sport utility vehicle shortly before 8 p.m.
Vieyra was trying to get to the ramp to enter the freeway, deputies said.
Miller's SUV flipped over several times and almost went onto the freeway. Miller was killed instantly.
Officials said Miller is survived by his wife Michele, and a young son and daughter. He worked for the department for 20 years.
Detectives said Vieyra, 56, is in the United States illegally. Police said he entered the country on a work visa that expired.
He was booked into the Harris County Jail and had bond set at $35,000. Vieyra was not injured in the collision.
"There's no indication at this point that alcohol was a factor or anything like that. The basis for the charge is the fact that he failed to yield the right-of-way to oncoming traffic," said Capt. John Martin with the Harris County Sheriff's Office.
Miller worked for the investigative support services division. He was returning from an investigative operation in the Copperfield area, officials said.
"The people that worked with him -- they're just devastated. They had tremendous respect for him," Martin said.
"It's really a very sad, traumatic thing to happen to us and to anybody else," Maj. Juan George said. "We're just terribly sorry that this happened to him."
Deputies said Miller's death reminded them to that their lives could end in an instant.
"It's amazing how short our life is and they're talking about getting their things in order and that kind of thing because you never know when something's going to happen, regardless of what kind of work you're in," George said.
Fund For Deputy's Family
The 100 Club is accepting donations to its "Survivor's Fund," which provides benefits to the dependents of peace officers and firefighters killed in the line of duty.
Donations can be sent to the following address:
100 Club Survivor's Fund1233 West Loop S., Suite 1250Houston, TX 77027
Donations can also be made online at www.the100club.org or over the phone at 713-952-0100.
A $10,000 check will be given immediately to Miller's wife to assist with any immediate needs they may have. Additional 100 Club financial support for the Miller family will be provided, after a review, to include current financial and children's educational needs, according to authorities.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
CA Another illegal drunk destroys life of a mom
Unbelievable! The same thing happened to a mom in Los Gatos. When is this madness going to stop.
Mother of two happy to be alive after losing legs in accident
By MARSHA DORGANRegister Staff Writer
Thursday, February 07, 2008
The Napa woman whose legs were crushed when she was hit by a drunk driver Sunday night has a long, tough road to recovery.Doctors at Queen of the Valley Medical Center operated on Lilian Clark the night of the crash, amputating both of her legs just above the knee, according to her husband, John Clark.
Clark, 38, is the mother of two boys, 4 and 6. She was pinned between the rear bumper of her car and a 1990 Plymouth driven by Francisco Pacheco, 24, of Napa.
UPDATE: Immigration hold placed on drive in injury crash
The crash happened around 6:30 p.m. Sunday on South Terrace Drive, north of Shetler Avenue.After the crash, Pacheco put his car in reverse and sped away from the scene. Neighbors followed him to his house about a block away, where they held him until police arrived and arrested Pacheco on felony DUI, hit and run and driving without a valid license. Pacheco has a prior misdemeanor DUI conviction from January 2007. He is on probation.He is being held in the county jail on $100,000 bail.Pacheco does not have auto insurance.“I have no idea at this time what will be involved in Lili’s recovery. I know there will be months, maybe years of rehab, and she will have to be fitted for prosthesis,” her husband said. A fund has been set up to help the family with medical expenses and to bring Lilian Clark’s family from Chile, where they live, so they can help out with the children and their family member’s recovery. Donations may be made at Washington Mutual Bank, 699 Trancas St., Napa, 94558. The account is under the name Lilian Clark and Children. Clark said that on the night of the accident, his wife had double-parked her car and was putting their sons, Jake and Sam, in their child safety seats.“She went around to the back of the car to get to the driver’s door. I was right there. I said ‘see you later,’ and within a split second I heard tires screeching and saw this car come roaring down the street about 50 miles an hour and just slam into the back of Lili’s car, pinning her between the two bumpers,” Clark said. With the impact of Pacheco’s car, John Clark said, “The trunk popped open, and she flew inside. Then, the guy threw his car in reverse and left. Lili just fell to the ground in a heap. The neighbors ran out of the house. I was yelling ‘Call 911.’ They said they already had and asked me which way the guy went. They followed him in their car and found his car parked in front of his house down the street.“I was holding Lili. She was conscious. All she kept saying was ‘Check the kids.’ Her legs were crushed, and she was just worried about the kids,” he said. “The kids were crying and saying ‘What happened to Mommy?’ The neighbors helped me and we kept the kids from seeing what happened. Just horrific, horrific is the only way I can describe it.” Doctors amputated her legs that night. “There was no way they could save her legs.” She had over 60 breaks in her bones, Clark said. Clark said his wife had undergone her third operation on Tuesday. “She knows what has happened. She’s such a strong woman, I just can’t believe it. Like I said, her main concern is the kids.“They took the tubes out Tuesday and she got to see the kids. They need to know that mom is going to make it. Lili is in good spirits. She feels very fortunate to be alive. That woman is just remarkable,” Clark said. Lilian Clark is from Chile.“I met her when I was visiting friends in Chile in 1996. We struck up a friendship which blossomed. I tried everything to get her a visa to live in America. Nothing worked. I was finally successful in getting a fiancé visa. She came to Napa in 1999, and we got married,” Clark said. Lilian Clark had worked as temporary office employee. More recently, she has been a stay-at-home mom.
Mother of two happy to be alive after losing legs in accident
By MARSHA DORGANRegister Staff Writer
Thursday, February 07, 2008
The Napa woman whose legs were crushed when she was hit by a drunk driver Sunday night has a long, tough road to recovery.Doctors at Queen of the Valley Medical Center operated on Lilian Clark the night of the crash, amputating both of her legs just above the knee, according to her husband, John Clark.
Clark, 38, is the mother of two boys, 4 and 6. She was pinned between the rear bumper of her car and a 1990 Plymouth driven by Francisco Pacheco, 24, of Napa.
UPDATE: Immigration hold placed on drive in injury crash
The crash happened around 6:30 p.m. Sunday on South Terrace Drive, north of Shetler Avenue.After the crash, Pacheco put his car in reverse and sped away from the scene. Neighbors followed him to his house about a block away, where they held him until police arrived and arrested Pacheco on felony DUI, hit and run and driving without a valid license. Pacheco has a prior misdemeanor DUI conviction from January 2007. He is on probation.He is being held in the county jail on $100,000 bail.Pacheco does not have auto insurance.“I have no idea at this time what will be involved in Lili’s recovery. I know there will be months, maybe years of rehab, and she will have to be fitted for prosthesis,” her husband said. A fund has been set up to help the family with medical expenses and to bring Lilian Clark’s family from Chile, where they live, so they can help out with the children and their family member’s recovery. Donations may be made at Washington Mutual Bank, 699 Trancas St., Napa, 94558. The account is under the name Lilian Clark and Children. Clark said that on the night of the accident, his wife had double-parked her car and was putting their sons, Jake and Sam, in their child safety seats.“She went around to the back of the car to get to the driver’s door. I was right there. I said ‘see you later,’ and within a split second I heard tires screeching and saw this car come roaring down the street about 50 miles an hour and just slam into the back of Lili’s car, pinning her between the two bumpers,” Clark said. With the impact of Pacheco’s car, John Clark said, “The trunk popped open, and she flew inside. Then, the guy threw his car in reverse and left. Lili just fell to the ground in a heap. The neighbors ran out of the house. I was yelling ‘Call 911.’ They said they already had and asked me which way the guy went. They followed him in their car and found his car parked in front of his house down the street.“I was holding Lili. She was conscious. All she kept saying was ‘Check the kids.’ Her legs were crushed, and she was just worried about the kids,” he said. “The kids were crying and saying ‘What happened to Mommy?’ The neighbors helped me and we kept the kids from seeing what happened. Just horrific, horrific is the only way I can describe it.” Doctors amputated her legs that night. “There was no way they could save her legs.” She had over 60 breaks in her bones, Clark said. Clark said his wife had undergone her third operation on Tuesday. “She knows what has happened. She’s such a strong woman, I just can’t believe it. Like I said, her main concern is the kids.“They took the tubes out Tuesday and she got to see the kids. They need to know that mom is going to make it. Lili is in good spirits. She feels very fortunate to be alive. That woman is just remarkable,” Clark said. Lilian Clark is from Chile.“I met her when I was visiting friends in Chile in 1996. We struck up a friendship which blossomed. I tried everything to get her a visa to live in America. Nothing worked. I was finally successful in getting a fiancé visa. She came to Napa in 1999, and we got married,” Clark said. Lilian Clark had worked as temporary office employee. More recently, she has been a stay-at-home mom.
CA Juvie gang banger murderer escaped and headed for Mexico
Of course, once they do the crime here, they run home to their country.
Inmates charged with aiding San Mateo County Youth Services Center escapee
LOW-PLACED LIGHT PROVIDED HAND-HOLD
By Shaun Bishop Bay Area News Group
Article Launched: 02/20/2008 01:35:24 AM PST
A halogen lamp placed too low on a 15-foot wall at the San Mateo County Youth Services Center gave a 17-year-old murder suspect a hand-hold to climb over the wall and escape, officials said Tuesday.
The search for Josue Raul Orozco, a Sureño gang member who may be headed for his birthplace of Mexico, stretched into a fifth day as two other inmates were charged with felonies for their alleged role in helping him escape.
Martin Villa Patino and Vanher Cho, both 18, could face seven years in prison if convicted of giving Orozco a boost up the security wall around the facility's recreation area around 7:15 p.m. last Thursday. Cho, of Burlingame, and Patino, of East Palo Alto, pleaded not guilty to aiding and abetting an escape and engaging in felony conduct for gang purposes. The escape charge carries three years while the gang enhancement adds four, said Chief Deputy District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe. In addition to its internal investigation, San Mateo County Board of Supervisors President Adrienne Tissier called for an independent investigation, with the board set to weigh in on the incident next week. Because of the extended time lag between the time an electronic alert was issued and an arrest warrant obtained, the probation department also plans to change its process so both can be secured at the same time. Chief Probation Officer Loren Buddress said the department is also looking into how it would notify neighbors if a similar situation occurs again. Buddress said a probation officer is supposed to be able to see juvenile offenders at all times, though the internal investigation has not yet revealed whether a probation officer was in the recreation yard when the escape happened. Sheriff's officials said that although they believe Orozco has left San Mateo County, they are still following local leads. The 15-foot wall - 9 feet of brick under 6 feet of "no-climb mesh fencing" - was built to state codes that require a 14-foot barrier, Buddress said. But a light for the basketball courts had been placed 12 feet up the wall instead of at the top, giving Orozco a hand-hold that allowed him to climb over with help from Cho and Patino, Buddress said. Orozco then climbed through a 3-foot hole that had been cut in a second barrier - a 15-foot chain-link fence - likely by an accomplice, officials said. The area where Orozco jumped the wall has been closed until an internal review is complete, Buddress said. Superior Court Commissioner Kathleen M. McKenna set bail for Cho and Patino at $200,000 after Deputy District Attorney Joseph Cannon requested it be raised from $50,000.
Patino is also a known Sureño, Cannon said, though he would not comment on whether Cho had any affiliation. Cannon also declined to discuss why the two were being held in the youth center. But he told McKenna that Patino is serving a sentence that could expire before the escape charges are decided. He also said Cho's juvenile case is still pending. The teens were transported to the maximum-security men's jail on Friday, said Sheriff's Lt. Mark Alcantara. County supervisors and the county's supervising juvenile court judge have questioned why an arrest warrant was not issued until 6 1/2 hours after Orozco was believed to have escaped.
But officials in the sheriff's and probation offices on Tuesday defended their handling of the situation, saying they followed proper procedures. Alcantara said that at 10:15 p.m. about three hours after the escape, an electronic message was delivered to law enforcement agencies from here to the Mexican border, giving them probable cause for an arrest. Afterward, the arrest warrant - which includes a photo and commands and officer to arrest the fugitive - was written and taken to the judge, who signed it about 2 a.m.
Orozco, a Redwood City resident, was being held without bail for allegedly shooting a 21-year-old member of a rival gang in the head in 2005. He was 14 at the time of the shooting and is the youngest person in county history to be charged as an adult with murder.
His case was set to go to trial last month but delayed until May.
Inmates charged with aiding San Mateo County Youth Services Center escapee
LOW-PLACED LIGHT PROVIDED HAND-HOLD
By Shaun Bishop Bay Area News Group
Article Launched: 02/20/2008 01:35:24 AM PST
A halogen lamp placed too low on a 15-foot wall at the San Mateo County Youth Services Center gave a 17-year-old murder suspect a hand-hold to climb over the wall and escape, officials said Tuesday.
The search for Josue Raul Orozco, a Sureño gang member who may be headed for his birthplace of Mexico, stretched into a fifth day as two other inmates were charged with felonies for their alleged role in helping him escape.
Martin Villa Patino and Vanher Cho, both 18, could face seven years in prison if convicted of giving Orozco a boost up the security wall around the facility's recreation area around 7:15 p.m. last Thursday. Cho, of Burlingame, and Patino, of East Palo Alto, pleaded not guilty to aiding and abetting an escape and engaging in felony conduct for gang purposes. The escape charge carries three years while the gang enhancement adds four, said Chief Deputy District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe. In addition to its internal investigation, San Mateo County Board of Supervisors President Adrienne Tissier called for an independent investigation, with the board set to weigh in on the incident next week. Because of the extended time lag between the time an electronic alert was issued and an arrest warrant obtained, the probation department also plans to change its process so both can be secured at the same time. Chief Probation Officer Loren Buddress said the department is also looking into how it would notify neighbors if a similar situation occurs again. Buddress said a probation officer is supposed to be able to see juvenile offenders at all times, though the internal investigation has not yet revealed whether a probation officer was in the recreation yard when the escape happened. Sheriff's officials said that although they believe Orozco has left San Mateo County, they are still following local leads. The 15-foot wall - 9 feet of brick under 6 feet of "no-climb mesh fencing" - was built to state codes that require a 14-foot barrier, Buddress said. But a light for the basketball courts had been placed 12 feet up the wall instead of at the top, giving Orozco a hand-hold that allowed him to climb over with help from Cho and Patino, Buddress said. Orozco then climbed through a 3-foot hole that had been cut in a second barrier - a 15-foot chain-link fence - likely by an accomplice, officials said. The area where Orozco jumped the wall has been closed until an internal review is complete, Buddress said. Superior Court Commissioner Kathleen M. McKenna set bail for Cho and Patino at $200,000 after Deputy District Attorney Joseph Cannon requested it be raised from $50,000.
Patino is also a known Sureño, Cannon said, though he would not comment on whether Cho had any affiliation. Cannon also declined to discuss why the two were being held in the youth center. But he told McKenna that Patino is serving a sentence that could expire before the escape charges are decided. He also said Cho's juvenile case is still pending. The teens were transported to the maximum-security men's jail on Friday, said Sheriff's Lt. Mark Alcantara. County supervisors and the county's supervising juvenile court judge have questioned why an arrest warrant was not issued until 6 1/2 hours after Orozco was believed to have escaped.
But officials in the sheriff's and probation offices on Tuesday defended their handling of the situation, saying they followed proper procedures. Alcantara said that at 10:15 p.m. about three hours after the escape, an electronic message was delivered to law enforcement agencies from here to the Mexican border, giving them probable cause for an arrest. Afterward, the arrest warrant - which includes a photo and commands and officer to arrest the fugitive - was written and taken to the judge, who signed it about 2 a.m.
Orozco, a Redwood City resident, was being held without bail for allegedly shooting a 21-year-old member of a rival gang in the head in 2005. He was 14 at the time of the shooting and is the youngest person in county history to be charged as an adult with murder.
His case was set to go to trial last month but delayed until May.
MI- Illegal drunk kills teen
Teen Dies After Hit & Run Crash
February 18, 2008 - 5:21PMST. JOSEPH COUNTY (NEWSCHANNEL 3) -
A teenage boy passed away Monday night after being run down by a hit and run driver in St. Joseph County. It happened around 6p.m. Sunday night on M-60 near Fischer Lake Road, just northeast of Three Rivers. The 20-year old driver is in jail, after his bond was set at $750,000. Sergio Onofre is charged with Failing to Stop at the Scene of the Crash, Operating While Intoxicated, Minor In Possession of Alcohol, Driving with a Suspended License, Burglary, and Obstruction of Justice. Deputies say Onofre was westbound on M-60 when he went off the road and hit 14-year old Daniel Turner, who was walking with a friend. Investigators say Onofre then kept on driving dragging the 14 year old. He then hit another vehicle, a large bush, and then took off running. Deputies tracked the driver through the snow, into a nearby neighborhood, where a witness led them to the suspect. “One of the eyewitnesses pointed him out. Exactly where he was, when he was there. And that immediately led to his capture," said Deputy Dave Alli of St. Joseph County Sheriff''s Department. Monday, Onofre admitted to the magistrate he was in the U.S. illegally and has been here for about six months working at a Kalamazoo greenhouse. Onofre faces charges of operating while intoxicated causing death, manslaughter with a motor vehicle, failure to stop at scene of accident resulting in death, home invasion 2nd degree, operating while intoxicated second offense, and driving while license suspended second offense. He is being held on a 750,000 dollar bond.
February 18, 2008 - 5:21PMST. JOSEPH COUNTY (NEWSCHANNEL 3) -
A teenage boy passed away Monday night after being run down by a hit and run driver in St. Joseph County. It happened around 6p.m. Sunday night on M-60 near Fischer Lake Road, just northeast of Three Rivers. The 20-year old driver is in jail, after his bond was set at $750,000. Sergio Onofre is charged with Failing to Stop at the Scene of the Crash, Operating While Intoxicated, Minor In Possession of Alcohol, Driving with a Suspended License, Burglary, and Obstruction of Justice. Deputies say Onofre was westbound on M-60 when he went off the road and hit 14-year old Daniel Turner, who was walking with a friend. Investigators say Onofre then kept on driving dragging the 14 year old. He then hit another vehicle, a large bush, and then took off running. Deputies tracked the driver through the snow, into a nearby neighborhood, where a witness led them to the suspect. “One of the eyewitnesses pointed him out. Exactly where he was, when he was there. And that immediately led to his capture," said Deputy Dave Alli of St. Joseph County Sheriff''s Department. Monday, Onofre admitted to the magistrate he was in the U.S. illegally and has been here for about six months working at a Kalamazoo greenhouse. Onofre faces charges of operating while intoxicated causing death, manslaughter with a motor vehicle, failure to stop at scene of accident resulting in death, home invasion 2nd degree, operating while intoxicated second offense, and driving while license suspended second offense. He is being held on a 750,000 dollar bond.
HIV positive illegal rapes 5 year old (Alabama)
Another disgusting illegal scumbag!
12 Year Old Girl Raped & Suspect Is HIV Positive
(Alabama) - 32 year old Julio Cesar Cruz Martinez sits in a Baldwin County jail charged with rape, sodomy and sex abuse. Alleged crimes involving a young girl under twelve years of age. During an interview, investigators say Martinez dropped a bomb on sheriff's deputies and the victim's family. A revelation that has compounded this tragedy. Sgt. Tony Nolfe of Baldwin County's Sheriff's Department says, "he did confess to several of those acts. Later in the afternoon, he did disclose to jail personnel that he was HIV positive and the health concerns for the victim are being addressed."There's another twist to this case. Sheriff's deputies say Julio Martinez may not be the man he say's he is. "Mr. Martinez is apparently an illegal alien. His identity is somewhat still in question. We have not been able to confirm his identity or certain facts about his back ground" says Sgt. Tony Nolfe. Investigators say the victim, the victim's mother and the mother's fiancee had been living with Martinez for the last few months. Investigators say Martinez has been living in the Fairhope area for the last two years.
12 Year Old Girl Raped & Suspect Is HIV Positive
(Alabama) - 32 year old Julio Cesar Cruz Martinez sits in a Baldwin County jail charged with rape, sodomy and sex abuse. Alleged crimes involving a young girl under twelve years of age. During an interview, investigators say Martinez dropped a bomb on sheriff's deputies and the victim's family. A revelation that has compounded this tragedy. Sgt. Tony Nolfe of Baldwin County's Sheriff's Department says, "he did confess to several of those acts. Later in the afternoon, he did disclose to jail personnel that he was HIV positive and the health concerns for the victim are being addressed."There's another twist to this case. Sheriff's deputies say Julio Martinez may not be the man he say's he is. "Mr. Martinez is apparently an illegal alien. His identity is somewhat still in question. We have not been able to confirm his identity or certain facts about his back ground" says Sgt. Tony Nolfe. Investigators say the victim, the victim's mother and the mother's fiancee had been living with Martinez for the last few months. Investigators say Martinez has been living in the Fairhope area for the last two years.
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