Running off to Mexico not only sounds wholly romantic, but it’s long been an ideal way to evade American law enforcement.
Stop sign in Mexico/Thinkstock
Usually.
Two men found out otherwise in two unrelated incidents that landed them both back in Arizona detention facilities.
One was a U.S. citizen, found hiding out in Sonora, wanted for murder in a Catalina Foothills neighborhood earlier this year.
The other was an illegal alien trying to slip south of the border by attempting to outrun U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers.
Murder suspect
Hector Ernesto Estrada/submitted photo
U.S. citizen Hector Ernesto Estrada, 33, who had a warrant out for his arrest following the April 8 homicide of 30-year-old Michael Estrada Rodriguez, was arrested in Mexico Oct. 14, according to a news release from the U.S. Marshals Service.
Rodriguez was found shot several times and left to die in a parking lot in the 270 block of East Camino Lomas, southwest of North First Avenue and Orange Grove Road, according to the initial news release from the Pima County Sheriff’s Department.
One of the homicide suspects, Raymond Negrete, 31, was arrested April 27 and charged with first-degree murder. But Estrada was nowhere to be found.
In May, the sheriff’s department asked U.S. marshals to help find Estrada. The marshals, in turn, asked Mexican authorities to help last week once marshals discovered Estrada was hiding out in Nogales, Sonora.
Investigators from the Sonora State Investigative Police (PEI) located and arrested Estrada, turning him over to marshals at the DeConcini Port of Entry to await extradition to Pima County.
Estrada now sits in Pima County Jail, charged with first-degree murder and held without bond.
“Dangerous felon”
Another man trying to flee to Mexico, a 42-year-old illegal alien with a laundry list of U.S. crimes, was nabbed trying to sneak back into his home country Oct. 12, according to a news release from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
The man, whose identity was not disclosed, was busted by CBP officers at the Douglas Port of Entry.
“The officers noticed the man who was suspiciously walking south toward Mexico in the pedestrian lane and stopped him for further interview,” the release said. “The man avoided the officers and attempted to run south into Mexico.”
He didn’t get very far.
Further investigation revealed the guy had been not only working in the U.S. as a marijuana mule, but he had several previous felony arrests. His past charges included battery with serious bodily injury, carrying a concealed weapon in a vehicle, carrying a loaded firearm in public, transport/selling of contraband, possession of rock cocaine for sale, robbery in the first degree, infliction of corporal injury to a spouse – just to name a few.
This guy went to the Florence Detention Facility to await his appearance before a federal magistrate.
So much for these two evading law enforcement – but perhaps they still have a chance for romance.
[tnipoll]
What do you think?
Are you glad when criminals are found and brought back to U.S. or are our jails too packed already?
Where would you flee to if you were fleeing a crime?
Would you attempt to outrun officers at the border?
Mexico is too dangerous even for dangerous people. I am surprised that we do not have more Mexican felons fleeing here for safety. or at least above Pinal County.
hahha – ahhh, from what i read, i’d tend to agree with you, alan in kent wa.
…but i still say a romantic getaway to some nowhere town on the gulf of mexico sounds highly romantic…
i was thinking, too, that any of the u.s. ‘dangerous felons’ that end up in mexico may face a scarier fate than those who end up locked up here in jail. just a thought….
Many do flee to Mexico. Before being taken as a slogan for Taco Bell (and later removed due to controversy) “running for the border” has long been a euphemism for escaping US Justice.
More children are abducted to Mexico per year than to nearly every other country in the world combined. While other countries like Japan, Brazil and Saudi Arabia make the news for non-compliance with, or not signing the Hague Convention, child abduction Mexico is the far and away the number one destination for abducted American children.
hey carlos – thanks for reminder that not all who ‘flee’ to mexico do so by choice. scary reminder on abducted children, indeed.
also thanks for taco bell slogan info – never thought about why that particular slogan simply disappeared – but, alas, it was not particularly pc, now, was it?
thanks again!