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Woman Arrested At Siesta Acres With 1.3 Pounds Of Marijuana In Her Residence
Maverick County Sheriff's Office (PRESS RELEASE) - Maverick County Sheriff Deputies were dispatched to U.S. Border Patrol North Station in reference to recovered narcotics report. Upon arrival, Deputies made contact with Homeland Security Investigator and U.S. Border Patrol Agents who stated that they searched a residence located at 1300 Block Siesta Drive and found approximately 10 clear plastic bags containing green leafy substance inside a drawer chest inside a bedroom and it was later tested positive for marijuana. Investigator further stated that a female subject identified as Maria Lourdes Jimenez was inside of the residence and later detained by U.S. Border Patrol Agents for different charges. Investigator stated that the estimated weight of the marijuana was 1.3 lbs. The narcotics was turned over to the custody of the Maverick County Sheriff's Office and placed into evidence.
Eagle Pass CBP Officers Find Meth Hidden in Vehicle
Mexican National Caught With $349k Worth of Narcotics
EAGLE PASS, Texas - U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Eagle Pass Port of Entry arrested a Mexican national Friday afternoon after finding more than $300,000 worth of drugs stashed in his vehicle.
Shortly after 4 p.m. Friday, CBP officers at Eagle Pass International Bridge I inspected a 2013 Volkswagen Jetta as it arrived from Mexico. Officers directed the vehicle and driver, a 51-year-old Mexican citizen, to a secondary inspection area. Using a non-intrusive imaging system along with a CBP canine, officers found 25 packages hidden inside the car’s body panels. Testing revealed the packages contained a total of 23.27 pounds of the narcotic methamphetamine, worth an estimated $349,140.
The case was turned over to Homeland Security Investigations for federal prosecution.
“CBP implements multiple layers of enforcement to prevent dangerous contraband from entering our country,” said Cynthia O. Rodriguez, CBP Port Director, Eagle Pass. “Officer training and experience, coupled with excellent use of tools and resources made this seizure possible.”
The Office of Field Operations is the primary organization within U.S. Customs and Border Protection tasked with an anti-terrorism mission at our nation’s ports. CBP officers screen all people, vehicles and goods entering the United States, while facilitating the flow of legitimate trade and travel. Their mission also includes carrying out border-related duties, including narcotics interdiction, enforcing immigration and trade laws, and protecting the nation's food supply and agriculture industry from pests and diseases.
A.D. Ibarra
-Piedras Negras, Coah.
Two sisters, ages 9 and 7 years old who disappeared from his grandmother's house a month ago, were reported in good health and with their mother, Claudia Fuentes, in Piedras Negras.
The children were reported missing June 26 from the residence of their paternal grandparents around 10 am, witnesses reported seeing the children in the Plaza San Juan, before noticing his absence.
Initial investigations made authorities suspect that the children had fled on their own, and there was speculation they were taken by acquaintances of their mother, who lives in Piedras Negras.
Authorities say the case may not generate any criminal charges, as the mother has custody of the minors, as the father died recently in a car accident in which the mother was involved.
The case had been open for over a month and Amber Alerts had been issued by the authorities of the Eagle Pass police department, while their relatives requested the support of the community to assist with the search for the two missing girls. The Texas Rangers and the FBI both came to the aid of the family to no avail and even local authorities in Piedras Negras had their hands tied for some time before confirming that the case was closed.
Washington, D.C.: Congressman Pete Gallego (TX-23) has asked Governor Perry to request aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for Maverick County. The area incurred flooding on June 14 and 15 and is still in the recovery process. In order to be considered for FEMA funds, the federal government must first receive a request from the office of the Governor. In the letter, Gallego writes:
A.D. Ibarra
-Eagle Pass
he 2013 Eagle Pass Health Fair was a resounding success with many local entities coming together to provide services to the community at large in many different ways as employees and volunteers registered citizens for the different services. According to Diana Sanchez of South Texas Rural Health Services informed The News Gram that 2,100 people signed up this year and benefitted from agencies such as Dr. Esquivel and the Smile Factory providing dental screenings, Texas Eye Care Associates doing glaucoma screenings, Nix Hospital and Laurel ridge from SA offering information on their services, Border Federal Credit Union were signing up new accounts and giving prizes such as lunch boxes and backpacks, the EPISD Health Department were handing out schedules for immunizations, the Southwest Business and technical Career center were offering free haircuts, home health agencies were recruiting providers, and even Sparky the Fire Dog (EPFD) and McGruff the Crime Dog (US Customs) were on hand to entertain the many who attended. Senator Carlos Uresti graciously donated 2,000 backpacks to be given away on Thursday.
Jose Flores III indicted on federal charges
Staff
-Del Rio, TX
In Eagle Pass on July 23rd, Federal Bureau of Investigation agents along with Texas Department of public Safety Investigators arrested local contractor Jose Flores III, owner of JSML, LLC, N5 Group, LLC, and King Construction based in Eagle Pass announced Unites States Attorney Robert Pitman.
A Federal Grand Jury has handed down an indictment, returned on July 17th, charges Flores on two counts of bank fraud and wire fraud.
Flores had his initial appearance on July 23, 2013 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Collis White in Del Rio.
Flores was released on a $20,000.00 unsecured bond.
Unpon conviction, he faces up to 30 years imprisonment on the bank fraud charge and up to 20 years imprisonment on the wire fraud charge.
The case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Alia Moses.
An indictment is merely a charge and should not be considered as evidence of guilt. The defendant is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
According to the report, The defendant, Jose Flores III, devised and executed a scheme and artifice to defraud TAB Bank, Inc. by fraudulently submitting an illegitimate invoice from a fictitious client to TAB.
TAB is a financial institution focused primarily on providing working capital, equipment financing and deposit products to a variety of commercial enterprises, including businesses involved in the trucking and transportation industries. Dpeosits made by TAB are insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation ("FDIC"), and have been so insured since TAB's formation in 1998.
The defendant as officers of N5, executed a Large Fleet Accounts Receivable Financing Application with TAB on April 18, 2011. Several days thereafter, the application was approved and N5 opened an accout with TAB.
On July 1, 2011, the defendant, on behalf of N5, submitted an invoice to TAB for an account receivable to be factored. According to this invoice, N5 had performed more than 680 hours of work for BB Paving in June and July 2011. As putative validation for this invoice, the defendant included 70 time sheets detailing the hours allegedly worked by several truck drivers. For this work, the defendant claimed that BB Paving owed $51,000 to N5.
All of the BB Paving invoices were completely fraudulent, and all of the time sheets provided by the defendant were wholly falsified. In actuality, N5 had performed absolutely no work for BB Paving.
Representing the U.S. is Timothy Adam duree and the defendant's counsel is Michael McCrum of San Antonio.
Man accused of intoxication manslaughter pleas guilty;
Accident occurred in 2010 on new Casino Road
A.D. Ibarra
-Eagle Pass
Raul Rodriguez, 38, has plead guilty to the charge of intoxication manslaughter in the 293rd District Court before The Honorable Cynthia Muñiz on Thursday according to District Attorney Roberto Serna.
The plea comes in the wake of a head-on collision on the road to the casino known as Tierra Soberana Road on December 11, 2010 and caused the death of Adeline Jane Hutson from San Antonio.
Mrs. Hutson had come to Eagle Pass to go to the casino with other family members.
A pre-sentencing report was ordered by the Court and sentencing was set for January 13, 2014 at 9:30 A.M.
"These cases are taken very seriously by the D.A.'s Office," stated District Attorney Roberto Serna, "They will be fully prosecuted where the evidence and facts so warrant and to obtain justice for the victims of these drinking and driving cases which result in death."
A.D. Ibarra
-Eagle Pass
The Kickapoo Lucky Eagle Casino is announcing the lucky winner in the $100,000.00 Star-Spangled Summer Giveaway as Ernesto Gonzalez of San Antonio drove away in his brand new white Jeep Grand Cherokee.
Oresmo Anico, Assistant General Manager was on hand to give over the keys to the lucky winner who was the fourth name drawn from the hopper after Austin's Natalie Soto, Felix Campos of Floresville and Phyllis Wasson of Kerrville were all called and were not present when their names were called.
The winner stated that he had a lot of entries in the hopper as he and his wife come to Eagle Pass every eight days!
The casino is also announcing a series of events which will be taking place as the opening of the new Lucky Eagle Hotel that is looming in the very near future. A series of concerts beginning with Moonlight Social who will be performing on August 2nd, Sam Riggs and The Night People on the 9th, Shelly Fairchild on the 16th, Suite 709 on the 23rd and Dave Scher on August 30th.
Remember that the winning is bigger in Texas at the Kickapoo Lucky Eagle Casino!
A.D. Ibarra
-Eagle Pass
Martha Zamarripa and Elisa Gonzalez, the former secretaries of former Justice of the Peace Cesar Perez plead 'No contest' to at least one of the charges before them stemming from indictments handed down in December by the 365th Judicial Court.
The indictment charged the three former Maverick County employees with participating in organized criminal activity and theft by a public servant.
Perez on the other hand is still awaiting the result of negotiations between his attorneys and those of the state as to how he will proceed in this matter as he was suspended from his duties pending the result of this investigation.
Dora Madera has since been in the seat of JP of Precinct 2 since January in an interim capacity.
Perez is to appear before The Honorable Amado Abascal, 365th District Judge on August 9th and his subsequent trial will be held August 12th.
A.D. Ibarra
-Del Rio, TX
Daryl Fields, Public Affairs Officer for The Western District of Texas, informed The News Gram of the sentencing hearing held on Tuesday for Elizabeth Vivian before The Honorable Alia Moses, US District Judge for The Western District of Texas.
Vivian was sentenced to 16 months imprisonment, three years of supervised release and was ordered to pay $3,000.00 fine.
Fields also stated that she was given a time to report as she was ordered to on October 1st to begin serving her sentence for her role in the gasoline fraud case involving five ex-city employees who, through the illegal use of Fuel Man cards, stole a total of $68,000.00 from the city over a period of several months.
She was not immediately taken into custody after sentencing, and in reference to restitution, she will need to wait for final judgement as this is presently just a notation and the final order has not been entered which may take two to three days after sentencing.
