Texas Border Business
LAREDO, Texas – As U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at Laredo Field Office ports of entry processed heavy traffic over the New Year’s/Three Kings holiday period they encountered four fugitives wanted on outstanding felony warrants for sex-related offenses.
“While processing heavy New Year’s/Three Kings holiday traffic over a seven-day period, CBP officers at ports of entry from Brownsville to Del Rio apprehended four fugitives wanted for felony warrants for sex crimes, the majority of them against children,” said Acting Director, Field Operations Eugene Crawford, Laredo Field Office. “Apprehensions like these underscore the role CBP officers play in helping to keep our communities secure and bring fugitives to justice while facilitating lawful trade and travel.”
In each instance, CBP officers referred a passenger or driver to secondary inspection where biometric verification using federal law enforcement databases and further examination confirmed the person was the subject of the outstanding warrant.
On Sunday, Jan. 8, CBP officers at Camino Real Bridge in Eagle Pass discovered that vehicle passenger Moises Alvarez, 21, a U.S. citizen had an outstanding felony warrant for sexual assault out of Webb County Sheriff’s Office. He was turned over to Webb County Sheriff’s Office.
On Saturday, Jan. 7, CBP officers at Juarez-Lincoln Bridge in Laredo discovered that vehicle passenger Luis Mendez Jr., 19, a U.S. citizen, had an outstanding felony warrant for indecency with a child/sexual contact out of Waxahachie County Sheriff’s Office, Waxahachie, Texas. He was transported to Webb County Jail.
On Thursday, Jan. 5, CBP officers at Gateway to the Americas Bridge in Laredo discovered that pedestrian Paxton Wolf, 22, a U.S. citizen, had an outstanding felony warrant for sexual assault of a child out of Travis County Sheriff’s Office, Austin, Texas. He was transported to Webb County Jail.
And on Tuesday, Jan. 3, CBP officers at Del Rio International Bridge discovered that vehicle driver Humberto Valtierra Garcia, 47, a lawful permanent U.S. resident, had an outstanding felony warrant for sexual assault of a child, indecency with a child out of McClennan County Sheriff’s Office, Bellmeade, Texas. He was turned over to Del Rio police officers and transported to Val Verde County Jail.
The National Crime Information Center (NCIC) is a centralized automated database designed to share information among law enforcement agencies including outstanding warrants for a wide range of offenses. Based on information from NCIC, CBP officers have made previous arrests of individuals wanted for homicide, escape, money laundering, robbery, narcotics distribution, sexual child abuse, fraud, larceny, and military desertion. Criminal charges are merely allegations. Defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
