By Adriana M. Chávez / El Paso Times
EL PASO - U.S. Border Patrol agents arrested one man with a criminal record and one man with charges pending trying to enter the United States illegally Tuesday, two days after agents spotted an illegal immigrant aiming a rifle at motorists on Paisano Drive.
Agents said at about 6:50 a.m. Tuesday, they arrested 44-year-old Jose Sergio Barraza-Rivas after he crossed illegally into Sunland Park N.M. Agents later discovered that Barraza-Rivas had previously been jailed on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, assault/family violence and marijuana possession with intent to distribute.
Agent Jose Romero, a Border Patrol spokesman, said Barraza-Rivas was also previously charged with assault with a firearm on a person, possession of stolen property, burglary of a dwelling and various drug charges. Barraza-Rivas was transported to the Otero County Detention Facility pending prosecution, Romero said.
A few hours later, agents in Fort Hancock conducting line-watch operations spotted 30-year-old Lorenzo Roman-Espinoza as he entered the U.S. illegally on a bicycle.
As agents were processing Roman-Espinoza, they discovered that he was wanted by the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement as a previously removed criminal and aggravated felon.
Romero said Roman-Espinoza's criminal history includes sexual battery and theft. He was booked into the El Paso County Jail to await prosecution.
On Sunday, Juárez police arrested Cruz Perez Lara, 47, for being in an unauthorized area after agents using a Border Patrol surveillance camera spotted him aiming a rifle at cars on Paisano Drive. Agents said Tuesday that Perez had illegally crossed the Rio Grande near Asarco, but crossed back into Mexico after agents approached him.
Adriana M. Chávez may be reached at achavez@elpasotimes.com; 546-6117.
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September 10, 2008
September 6, 2008
In grief, husband asks: Who left wife for dead?
Hit-and-runs leave families with unanswered questions
By Tony Plohetski
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
On the night she died, Linda O'Bryan had worked a late shift at a Northwest Austin pharmacy and decided to walk to her apartment about a mile away.
The 58-year-old beauty adviser had been without a car since an accident months earlier and had told her husband that the route, with unlit spots and heavy traffic along the way, sometimes made her nervous. The couple often talked by phone until she got home.
O'Bryan had been walking only a few minutes when a car slammed into her in the bike lane along Steck Avenue.
She lay fatally injured in the street. The driver kept going.
"Maybe she could have survived it had someone helped her a lot quicker," said her husband, Jack O'Bryan.
O'Bryan, a truck driver, was on the road in the Northeast that night in July. He tried calling his wife's cell phone during the time that he thought she would be walking. Then, he frantically called their apartment for the next several hours. Finally, at 2 a.m., an Austin police officer answered and told him what had happened.
In his grief, O'Bryan has been left with two questions: Who left his wife for dead and why?
11 killed so far this year
O'Bryan was the 10th person killed in 2008 in a crime that haunts families and law enforcement officials alike: hit-and-runs in which the seriously injured or dead are abandoned along a road, sometimes for hours until someone sees them and calls 911. Those killed this year have included pedestrians, motorcyclists and passengers.
An 11th hit-and-run fatality happened early Thursday morning, when motorcyclist Eric Laufer was struck by a vehicle on U.S. 183 in North Austin.
Austin had 151 hit-and-runs that caused injury or death through July 28. In each of the previous two years, there were 286.
"It's a significant problem," Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo said. "Not only is it a public safety issue, but it is a quality of life issue. People need to know when they are involved in a crash that hopefully the person is going to stop and identify themselves."
Investigators say they are generally left with few clues to solve the cases. They use traditional investigation work — talking to witnesses and body shop owners, for instance — as well as what they call "vehicle DNA" — such as a broken headlight, a side mirror or paint fragments — to try to figure out the identity of drivers.
Detectives said they ask suspects why they didn't call 911 to report a crash or stop to help a victim.
The suspects often reply that they had been drinking, that their driver's licenses were suspended or that they did not have insurance, detectives say. Some also cite their immigration status.
"Generally, in a moment, someone makes a very bad decision," said Sgt. Kris Thompson, who works in the Austin Police Department's vehicular homicide unit. "They think, 'Oh, nobody sees me, I'm OK.' "
Vehicular homicide Detective Adrian Duran said, "I've heard pretty much every excuse there is. I think the majority of times, people just panic."
Loved ones of the dead, including O'Bryan, say they not only face sudden loss but are also consumed with questions about how a motorist could hit a person and then drive away.
"It shatters families," said Tello Leal, an Austin police victims services counselor assigned to the vehicular homicide unit. "It changes everything you know, every way you see the world. It's devastating."
James D. Kings, the 17-year-old son of James Kings, a Dallas-area minister, was killed in March in a hit-and-run along Interstate 35 while in Austin for a school trip.
"It's just been unthinkable, just unimaginable," Kings said. "Obviously, I've lost my son, and there's anger that the person didn't stop, just thought so little of human life."
Police have not solved that case.
Of the 11 fatal cases this year, police have made arrests in six. Most of the suspects have been charged with failure to stop and render aid, a third-degree felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison. In cases in which investigators think they can prove that drivers were reckless or were driving drunk, the charges may be more severe.
In some cases, witnesses helped catch suspects. Hours after Fermin Vences, 20, was killed while crossing North Lamar Boulevard, authorities arrested and charged Edgar Soria-Palacios, 20. A man saw what happened, followed Soria-Palacios home and then reported his whereabouts to police. Officers went to Soria-Palacios' house and found damage to the hood and windshield of his car, an arrest affidavit said. Court records did not include a statement from Soria-Palacios.
In another case this year, a man driving a Ryder truck struck and killed a motorcyclist in the 8000 block of N. I-35, police said.
A man sent by Ryder to repair a blown-out tire and damage to the rear of the truck found a shoe in the bumper, blood and flesh and called police, an arrest affidavit said. Jimmie Roger Stanley, 47, was arrested and charged with failure to stop and render aid. Court documents did not include a statement from Stanley.
Short of such informants, detectives rely on luck, or the chance that drivers will tell other people about their crimes.
Couple met in church
They met 16 years ago at church.
Jack O'Bryan, now 49, had recently moved to Austin from Colorado Springs, Colo., and was sitting in a pew in front of the woman who would become his wife a year later. Both had previous marriages.
He said he was first captivated by her singing.
"I heard her voice behind me in the congregation, and I turned around and looked at her," he said. "I spoke to her, and our friendship grew."
O'Bryan said he was also attracted to his wife's personality; she diplomatically, yet sternly put family members, friends or strangers in their place when she felt disrespected.
He said they shared a common faith. They had wanted to buy a home together and hoped to travel to Italy. Linda O'Bryan had long been mesmerized by Venice's gondolas.
On the day of his wife's death, Jack O'Bryan said, she had begun planning a dream-come-true: She scheduled a two-week vacation to see her three grandchildren. Linda O'Bryan has a son from her previous marriage.
"There was nothing she would not do for them," O'Bryan said. "That's how a grandmother should be."
Jack O'Bryan flew to Austin from Baltimore the morning after his wife's death to make funeral arrangements.
"My life from that day forward has been indescribable," he said. "Without her, my life each day seems so empty."
Keeping a grief journal
Since his wife's death, O'Bryan has driven by the crash site several times each week.
He often gets out of the car and studies the area. He has done his own accident reconstruction, making notes of what he thinks happened: how the driver jumped a curb, drove 10 yards, hit a sign and then swerved back off the curb, hitting his wife from behind and throwing her about 20 yards into the street.
He has begun journaling about his grief, about how he can't sleep at night and how he can't stop thinking about the driver who kept going.
"As long as you run from this, you are my enemy," he wrote. "Turn yourself in and bring a closure to this matter, and when you do, though I totally despise what you did and how you reacted to it, I will look you in the eyes and tell you I forgive you, but you absolutely MUST come forward."
He also regularly calls the detective assigned to the case for updates.
"That just reminds me that I'm not just dealing with another case," Detective Richard Harrington said. "I'm dealing with a person."
Harrington said last week that investigators have impounded a car that could have killed Linda O'Bryan and are doing a forensic exam on it. He said the owner of the car, whom he declined to identify, gave an account about how the car was damaged that made him suspicious.
Jack O'Bryan has also aggressively pursued media coverage to keep what happened to his wife in the public's mind.
He hopes that one day, someone will come forward with information about what happened.
Until then, he said, he will keep driving by the spot where his wife died.
"I think about her last minutes on Earth, and I say, 'I'm going to find out who did this,' " he said.
tplohetski@statesman.com; 445-3605
By Tony Plohetski
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
On the night she died, Linda O'Bryan had worked a late shift at a Northwest Austin pharmacy and decided to walk to her apartment about a mile away.
The 58-year-old beauty adviser had been without a car since an accident months earlier and had told her husband that the route, with unlit spots and heavy traffic along the way, sometimes made her nervous. The couple often talked by phone until she got home.
O'Bryan had been walking only a few minutes when a car slammed into her in the bike lane along Steck Avenue.
She lay fatally injured in the street. The driver kept going.
"Maybe she could have survived it had someone helped her a lot quicker," said her husband, Jack O'Bryan.
O'Bryan, a truck driver, was on the road in the Northeast that night in July. He tried calling his wife's cell phone during the time that he thought she would be walking. Then, he frantically called their apartment for the next several hours. Finally, at 2 a.m., an Austin police officer answered and told him what had happened.
In his grief, O'Bryan has been left with two questions: Who left his wife for dead and why?
11 killed so far this year
O'Bryan was the 10th person killed in 2008 in a crime that haunts families and law enforcement officials alike: hit-and-runs in which the seriously injured or dead are abandoned along a road, sometimes for hours until someone sees them and calls 911. Those killed this year have included pedestrians, motorcyclists and passengers.
An 11th hit-and-run fatality happened early Thursday morning, when motorcyclist Eric Laufer was struck by a vehicle on U.S. 183 in North Austin.
Austin had 151 hit-and-runs that caused injury or death through July 28. In each of the previous two years, there were 286.
"It's a significant problem," Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo said. "Not only is it a public safety issue, but it is a quality of life issue. People need to know when they are involved in a crash that hopefully the person is going to stop and identify themselves."
Investigators say they are generally left with few clues to solve the cases. They use traditional investigation work — talking to witnesses and body shop owners, for instance — as well as what they call "vehicle DNA" — such as a broken headlight, a side mirror or paint fragments — to try to figure out the identity of drivers.
Detectives said they ask suspects why they didn't call 911 to report a crash or stop to help a victim.
The suspects often reply that they had been drinking, that their driver's licenses were suspended or that they did not have insurance, detectives say. Some also cite their immigration status.
"Generally, in a moment, someone makes a very bad decision," said Sgt. Kris Thompson, who works in the Austin Police Department's vehicular homicide unit. "They think, 'Oh, nobody sees me, I'm OK.' "
Vehicular homicide Detective Adrian Duran said, "I've heard pretty much every excuse there is. I think the majority of times, people just panic."
Loved ones of the dead, including O'Bryan, say they not only face sudden loss but are also consumed with questions about how a motorist could hit a person and then drive away.
"It shatters families," said Tello Leal, an Austin police victims services counselor assigned to the vehicular homicide unit. "It changes everything you know, every way you see the world. It's devastating."
James D. Kings, the 17-year-old son of James Kings, a Dallas-area minister, was killed in March in a hit-and-run along Interstate 35 while in Austin for a school trip.
"It's just been unthinkable, just unimaginable," Kings said. "Obviously, I've lost my son, and there's anger that the person didn't stop, just thought so little of human life."
Police have not solved that case.
Of the 11 fatal cases this year, police have made arrests in six. Most of the suspects have been charged with failure to stop and render aid, a third-degree felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison. In cases in which investigators think they can prove that drivers were reckless or were driving drunk, the charges may be more severe.
In some cases, witnesses helped catch suspects. Hours after Fermin Vences, 20, was killed while crossing North Lamar Boulevard, authorities arrested and charged Edgar Soria-Palacios, 20. A man saw what happened, followed Soria-Palacios home and then reported his whereabouts to police. Officers went to Soria-Palacios' house and found damage to the hood and windshield of his car, an arrest affidavit said. Court records did not include a statement from Soria-Palacios.
In another case this year, a man driving a Ryder truck struck and killed a motorcyclist in the 8000 block of N. I-35, police said.
A man sent by Ryder to repair a blown-out tire and damage to the rear of the truck found a shoe in the bumper, blood and flesh and called police, an arrest affidavit said. Jimmie Roger Stanley, 47, was arrested and charged with failure to stop and render aid. Court documents did not include a statement from Stanley.
Short of such informants, detectives rely on luck, or the chance that drivers will tell other people about their crimes.
Couple met in church
They met 16 years ago at church.
Jack O'Bryan, now 49, had recently moved to Austin from Colorado Springs, Colo., and was sitting in a pew in front of the woman who would become his wife a year later. Both had previous marriages.
He said he was first captivated by her singing.
"I heard her voice behind me in the congregation, and I turned around and looked at her," he said. "I spoke to her, and our friendship grew."
O'Bryan said he was also attracted to his wife's personality; she diplomatically, yet sternly put family members, friends or strangers in their place when she felt disrespected.
He said they shared a common faith. They had wanted to buy a home together and hoped to travel to Italy. Linda O'Bryan had long been mesmerized by Venice's gondolas.
On the day of his wife's death, Jack O'Bryan said, she had begun planning a dream-come-true: She scheduled a two-week vacation to see her three grandchildren. Linda O'Bryan has a son from her previous marriage.
"There was nothing she would not do for them," O'Bryan said. "That's how a grandmother should be."
Jack O'Bryan flew to Austin from Baltimore the morning after his wife's death to make funeral arrangements.
"My life from that day forward has been indescribable," he said. "Without her, my life each day seems so empty."
Keeping a grief journal
Since his wife's death, O'Bryan has driven by the crash site several times each week.
He often gets out of the car and studies the area. He has done his own accident reconstruction, making notes of what he thinks happened: how the driver jumped a curb, drove 10 yards, hit a sign and then swerved back off the curb, hitting his wife from behind and throwing her about 20 yards into the street.
He has begun journaling about his grief, about how he can't sleep at night and how he can't stop thinking about the driver who kept going.
"As long as you run from this, you are my enemy," he wrote. "Turn yourself in and bring a closure to this matter, and when you do, though I totally despise what you did and how you reacted to it, I will look you in the eyes and tell you I forgive you, but you absolutely MUST come forward."
He also regularly calls the detective assigned to the case for updates.
"That just reminds me that I'm not just dealing with another case," Detective Richard Harrington said. "I'm dealing with a person."
Harrington said last week that investigators have impounded a car that could have killed Linda O'Bryan and are doing a forensic exam on it. He said the owner of the car, whom he declined to identify, gave an account about how the car was damaged that made him suspicious.
Jack O'Bryan has also aggressively pursued media coverage to keep what happened to his wife in the public's mind.
He hopes that one day, someone will come forward with information about what happened.
Until then, he said, he will keep driving by the spot where his wife died.
"I think about her last minutes on Earth, and I say, 'I'm going to find out who did this,' " he said.
tplohetski@statesman.com; 445-3605
August 24, 2008
Activists Call Off Boycott Of Irving Car Dealership
POSTED: 9:11 am CDT August 24, 2008
UPDATED: 9:20 am CDT August 24, 2008
IRVING, Texas -- Hispanic leaders called off a boycott of a popular North Texas car dealership on Saturday.
Activists called for the boycott after Oscar Urbina, an illegal immigrant, was arrested after a broken car deal. Both sides now say it was a big misunderstanding.
"The police are obviously called for a different reason than checking the government papers or immigrant status, and Frank Parra is confident that won't happen again," said attorney Larry Friedman, who represents Frank Parra Chevrolet.
Urbina said he was using a fake Social Security number to try to buy a truck when the finance company flagged the deal.
When asked to leave the store, Urbina locked himself into the truck, the dealership's salesmen said. They then called police, and Urbina was arrested.
"We accept their apologies and their willingness to work with our community, and now we move forward," activist Carlos Quintenia said. "And now Oscar Urbina lives in peace and tranquility, and Frank Parra continues to get the support of our community that it has had for many, many, many years."
The dealership said it will not press charges against Urbina.
UPDATED: 9:20 am CDT August 24, 2008
IRVING, Texas -- Hispanic leaders called off a boycott of a popular North Texas car dealership on Saturday.
Activists called for the boycott after Oscar Urbina, an illegal immigrant, was arrested after a broken car deal. Both sides now say it was a big misunderstanding.
"The police are obviously called for a different reason than checking the government papers or immigrant status, and Frank Parra is confident that won't happen again," said attorney Larry Friedman, who represents Frank Parra Chevrolet.
Urbina said he was using a fake Social Security number to try to buy a truck when the finance company flagged the deal.
When asked to leave the store, Urbina locked himself into the truck, the dealership's salesmen said. They then called police, and Urbina was arrested.
"We accept their apologies and their willingness to work with our community, and now we move forward," activist Carlos Quintenia said. "And now Oscar Urbina lives in peace and tranquility, and Frank Parra continues to get the support of our community that it has had for many, many, many years."
The dealership said it will not press charges against Urbina.
August 22, 2008
Undocumented Immigrant Upset After Arrest At Car Dealership
POSTED: 6:27 pm CDT August 22, 2008
UPDATED: 7:54 pm CDT August 22, 2008
IRVING, Texas -- Some members of the Hispanic community are calling for a boycott of Frank Parra dealerships after a broken car deal led to an undocumented immigrant's arrest.
Frank Parra Dodge insists it is the victim of an immigration smear campaign brought on by community activist Carlos Quintanilla. Quintanilla is calling for a boycott after the sales staff at the dealership had customer Oscar Urbina arrested.
Urbina admitted to being in the country illegally and using a fake Social Security number to buy a truck when the finance company flagged the deal.
"That's when we said, 'Just give us our truck and leave the store,'" Joe Fernandez of Frank Parra Dodge said.
Instead, the dealership's salesmen said Urbina locked himself inside the truck, and that is when they called police.
"The last thing we want is to have a customer arrested. We just wanted our truck back," Fernandez said.
However, Urbina said the dealership actually offered to find a new finance company that would accept the fake Social Security number if he agreed to pay a higher percentage rate and put more money down.
"It's saying, 'If you don't agree with us, we will call the police and report you,'" Quintanilla said.
The Parra dealership denies that that offer took place.
Urbina said he was upset because he has purchased numerous cars at the dealership before and there was never a problem.
However, when asked if that fact makes it appropriate for him to use a fake Social Security number, Urbina seemed to be at a loss for words.
UPDATED: 7:54 pm CDT August 22, 2008
IRVING, Texas -- Some members of the Hispanic community are calling for a boycott of Frank Parra dealerships after a broken car deal led to an undocumented immigrant's arrest.
Frank Parra Dodge insists it is the victim of an immigration smear campaign brought on by community activist Carlos Quintanilla. Quintanilla is calling for a boycott after the sales staff at the dealership had customer Oscar Urbina arrested.
Urbina admitted to being in the country illegally and using a fake Social Security number to buy a truck when the finance company flagged the deal.
"That's when we said, 'Just give us our truck and leave the store,'" Joe Fernandez of Frank Parra Dodge said.
Instead, the dealership's salesmen said Urbina locked himself inside the truck, and that is when they called police.
"The last thing we want is to have a customer arrested. We just wanted our truck back," Fernandez said.
However, Urbina said the dealership actually offered to find a new finance company that would accept the fake Social Security number if he agreed to pay a higher percentage rate and put more money down.
"It's saying, 'If you don't agree with us, we will call the police and report you,'" Quintanilla said.
The Parra dealership denies that that offer took place.
Urbina said he was upset because he has purchased numerous cars at the dealership before and there was never a problem.
However, when asked if that fact makes it appropriate for him to use a fake Social Security number, Urbina seemed to be at a loss for words.
Hispanics accuse Pasadena police of harassment
ACORN alleges police trying to enforce federal immigration laws
11:21 AM CDT on Friday, August 22, 2008
KHOU.com staff report
PASADENA, Texas -- Members of the community group ACORN marched on the Pasadena police station on Thursday to complain about what they consider police harassment of Hispanics.
The group had hoped to meet with acting Pasadena Police Chief Michael Jackson, but instead had to deliver a list of questions they sought to be answered.
Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now member Jose Valdez accused the police department of pulling over people “because their skin is brown.” He alleged that, in addition to asking for the drivers’ licenses and proof of insurance, officers were seeking out the drivers’ Social Security numbers. He said the methods were a tactic to enforce federal immigration laws.
Valdez complained about Mayor Johnny Isbell’s recent order to crack down on drivers who do not have state-mandated liability insurance.
Earlier this year, Isbell pushed through a zero-tolerance policy in Pasadena for drivers who are found not to have liability insurance.
The policy leads to an almost automatic impounding of the driver’s car and, in some cases, an arrest.
“Why is Mayor Isbell been enforcing the insurance laws that are in affect for Texas and the fact that they have been targeting Hispanics and they don’t stop as many whites or any other people with a tone of skin other brown,” said Valdez. “It’s costing us money to be able to get our cars back, to be able to get people out of jail for having to pay bail bonds to get them out.”
ACORN was also seeking to have the Pasadena Police Department accept Mexican consulate identification cards as proper identification.
Police department spokesman Vance Mitchell said while the chief was unable to meet with the group, he would answer the questions listed on the two-page letter from ACORN.
Mitchell said he was unaware of any complaints that Pasadena police had been targeting Hispanics or engaging in harassment of people because of their skin color or race.
11:21 AM CDT on Friday, August 22, 2008
KHOU.com staff report
PASADENA, Texas -- Members of the community group ACORN marched on the Pasadena police station on Thursday to complain about what they consider police harassment of Hispanics.
The group had hoped to meet with acting Pasadena Police Chief Michael Jackson, but instead had to deliver a list of questions they sought to be answered.
Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now member Jose Valdez accused the police department of pulling over people “because their skin is brown.” He alleged that, in addition to asking for the drivers’ licenses and proof of insurance, officers were seeking out the drivers’ Social Security numbers. He said the methods were a tactic to enforce federal immigration laws.
Valdez complained about Mayor Johnny Isbell’s recent order to crack down on drivers who do not have state-mandated liability insurance.
Earlier this year, Isbell pushed through a zero-tolerance policy in Pasadena for drivers who are found not to have liability insurance.
The policy leads to an almost automatic impounding of the driver’s car and, in some cases, an arrest.
“Why is Mayor Isbell been enforcing the insurance laws that are in affect for Texas and the fact that they have been targeting Hispanics and they don’t stop as many whites or any other people with a tone of skin other brown,” said Valdez. “It’s costing us money to be able to get our cars back, to be able to get people out of jail for having to pay bail bonds to get them out.”
ACORN was also seeking to have the Pasadena Police Department accept Mexican consulate identification cards as proper identification.
Police department spokesman Vance Mitchell said while the chief was unable to meet with the group, he would answer the questions listed on the two-page letter from ACORN.
Mitchell said he was unaware of any complaints that Pasadena police had been targeting Hispanics or engaging in harassment of people because of their skin color or race.
August 21, 2008
Residents Protest Police Department
HOUSTON -- Residents protested at the Pasadena Police Department on Thursday, demanding change, KPRC Local 2 reported.
The demonstrators accuse Pasadena police officers of unfairly targeting Hispanics in the community.
The group includes Rosa Perez, who said she was pulled over and thrown in jail after making a right turn at a red light.
"I'm not crying. I don't want to cry, but I feel nervous," Perez said.
When she refused to sign the ticket, Perez said the officer arrested her and told her he was going to search her car for drugs.
She claimed the officer harassed her and then tried to get her to tell him which bar she was at the night before.
"I have a family. I have my husband. I have everything," Perez said.
"And you weren't in the bar?" KPRC Local 2 reporter Carl Willis asked.
"Exactly. What bar?" she said.
Members of the civil rights group, The Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, or ACORN, said this is just one of many instances of unfair treatment.
So, they held their protest in the lobby of the police department, demanding to talk to Police Chief Mike Jackson and share their stories.
"The more people tell it from one person to another, the stories get bigger and scarier," said Jose Nino, with ACORN.
The protesters have a list of questions for the chief, including which forms of identification are acceptable, how undocumented residents can report crime and how the ethnic makeup of the police force compares to the city.
"More than 60 percent are Latinos and the police department needs to see the same," said Alain Cisneros with ACORN.
Despite the demonstration, the chief's office passed along the message that the group would have to make an appointment for a meeting, which was a frustrating end to the rally, protesters said.
"We want to have equal rights as everyone else and that's what we're trying to achieve," Nino said.
"I want to see everything change, especially the police," Perez said.
ACORN members held a meeting last month with more than 100 in attendance. They said the police chief did not attend.
The chief said he would be more than willing to meet with representatives if he is given more notice.
He said he was unaware that protesters were at the station because he was out of the office at a meeting.
The demonstrators accuse Pasadena police officers of unfairly targeting Hispanics in the community.
The group includes Rosa Perez, who said she was pulled over and thrown in jail after making a right turn at a red light.
"I'm not crying. I don't want to cry, but I feel nervous," Perez said.
When she refused to sign the ticket, Perez said the officer arrested her and told her he was going to search her car for drugs.
She claimed the officer harassed her and then tried to get her to tell him which bar she was at the night before.
"I have a family. I have my husband. I have everything," Perez said.
"And you weren't in the bar?" KPRC Local 2 reporter Carl Willis asked.
"Exactly. What bar?" she said.
Members of the civil rights group, The Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, or ACORN, said this is just one of many instances of unfair treatment.
So, they held their protest in the lobby of the police department, demanding to talk to Police Chief Mike Jackson and share their stories.
"The more people tell it from one person to another, the stories get bigger and scarier," said Jose Nino, with ACORN.
The protesters have a list of questions for the chief, including which forms of identification are acceptable, how undocumented residents can report crime and how the ethnic makeup of the police force compares to the city.
"More than 60 percent are Latinos and the police department needs to see the same," said Alain Cisneros with ACORN.
Despite the demonstration, the chief's office passed along the message that the group would have to make an appointment for a meeting, which was a frustrating end to the rally, protesters said.
"We want to have equal rights as everyone else and that's what we're trying to achieve," Nino said.
"I want to see everything change, especially the police," Perez said.
ACORN members held a meeting last month with more than 100 in attendance. They said the police chief did not attend.
The chief said he would be more than willing to meet with representatives if he is given more notice.
He said he was unaware that protesters were at the station because he was out of the office at a meeting.
August 17, 2008
Motorcycle wrecks injure two, one badly
By Danny Gallagher, McKinney Courier-Gazette
(Created: Saturday, August 16, 2008)
Victor Badillo-Garcia
State troopers and Collin County sheriff’s deputies handled two serious motorcycle wrecks in the last three days in Northeastern Collin County, one of which could eventually result in a felony negligent homicide charge.
The wrecks occurred Saturday afternoon at the intersection of Farm to Market Road 3133 and County Road 533, and Monday morning on State Highway 121, just north of State Highway 160. Both sites are located in Westminster, according to Texas Department of Public Safety and Collin County briefing reports.
The Monday wreck occurred at about 5:50 a.m. and involved three vehicles driving on both sides of a stretch of State Highway 121, according to county dispatch reports.
A 2000 GMC Sonoma pickup truck driven by Victor Badillo-Garcia, 22, of Dallas crossed a double yellow line in the roadway while driving north on SH 121 and veered into the path of a 2007 Harley Davidson motorcycle driven by David Cona, 34, of Honey Grove, Cpl. Shannon Tilton said.
The Sonoma pickup continued driven north after striking the motorcycle and collided with a 2005 Chevrolet Avalanche driven by Doris Browning, 56, of Leonard. All three of the vehicles involved came to rest in the southbound ditch, Tilton said.
First responders found Cona lying next to his motorcycle with life-threatening injuries. Tilton said he was wearing a helmet, but it had been damaged during the accident.
Paramedics set up a landing zone for a medical helicopter to transport Cona to Parkland Memorial Hospital of Dallas. An EMS ambulance also transported Browning to Medical Center of McKinney.
Tilton said state troopers also brought Badillo-Garcia to MCM for treatment and took him into custody after the hospital treated and released him. He received a second-degree felony charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and a misdemeanor charge of driving with no driver’s license. He also has a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainer, according to jail records.
Tilton said Badillo-Garcia’s charge could change depending on Cona’s condition.
“If Mr. Cona passes, I can probably change that charge to criminally negligent homicide,” Tilton said.
Tilton said the Saturday crash occurred when a Harley Davidson motorcycle, driven by Benjamin Cowling Jr., 52, of Westminster, left the roadway and crashed in a grassy center median in the intersection.
Tilton said Cowling was riding with a group and lost control of his motorcycle when he took a sharp curve too fast and slid out of the road.
The motorcycle slid into the grass and hit a ditch, causing it to flip over, throwing Cowling in the process. Tilton also said he was not wearing a helmet at the time of the accident, but did not suffer any serious or life-threatening head injuries. He did sustain a broken femur and pelvis from the accident.
Cowling’s fellow riders stopped to help him and called emergency dispatch for an ambulance. Paramedics set up a landing zone for a medical helicopter to transport him to Baylor Medical Center of Dallas. Tilton said none of his injuries were life-threatening.
Contact Danny Gallagher at dgallagher@acnpapers.com. To post comments online, access this story at www.scntx.com.
(Created: Saturday, August 16, 2008)
Victor Badillo-Garcia
State troopers and Collin County sheriff’s deputies handled two serious motorcycle wrecks in the last three days in Northeastern Collin County, one of which could eventually result in a felony negligent homicide charge.
The wrecks occurred Saturday afternoon at the intersection of Farm to Market Road 3133 and County Road 533, and Monday morning on State Highway 121, just north of State Highway 160. Both sites are located in Westminster, according to Texas Department of Public Safety and Collin County briefing reports.
The Monday wreck occurred at about 5:50 a.m. and involved three vehicles driving on both sides of a stretch of State Highway 121, according to county dispatch reports.
A 2000 GMC Sonoma pickup truck driven by Victor Badillo-Garcia, 22, of Dallas crossed a double yellow line in the roadway while driving north on SH 121 and veered into the path of a 2007 Harley Davidson motorcycle driven by David Cona, 34, of Honey Grove, Cpl. Shannon Tilton said.
The Sonoma pickup continued driven north after striking the motorcycle and collided with a 2005 Chevrolet Avalanche driven by Doris Browning, 56, of Leonard. All three of the vehicles involved came to rest in the southbound ditch, Tilton said.
First responders found Cona lying next to his motorcycle with life-threatening injuries. Tilton said he was wearing a helmet, but it had been damaged during the accident.
Paramedics set up a landing zone for a medical helicopter to transport Cona to Parkland Memorial Hospital of Dallas. An EMS ambulance also transported Browning to Medical Center of McKinney.
Tilton said state troopers also brought Badillo-Garcia to MCM for treatment and took him into custody after the hospital treated and released him. He received a second-degree felony charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and a misdemeanor charge of driving with no driver’s license. He also has a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainer, according to jail records.
Tilton said Badillo-Garcia’s charge could change depending on Cona’s condition.
“If Mr. Cona passes, I can probably change that charge to criminally negligent homicide,” Tilton said.
Tilton said the Saturday crash occurred when a Harley Davidson motorcycle, driven by Benjamin Cowling Jr., 52, of Westminster, left the roadway and crashed in a grassy center median in the intersection.
Tilton said Cowling was riding with a group and lost control of his motorcycle when he took a sharp curve too fast and slid out of the road.
The motorcycle slid into the grass and hit a ditch, causing it to flip over, throwing Cowling in the process. Tilton also said he was not wearing a helmet at the time of the accident, but did not suffer any serious or life-threatening head injuries. He did sustain a broken femur and pelvis from the accident.
Cowling’s fellow riders stopped to help him and called emergency dispatch for an ambulance. Paramedics set up a landing zone for a medical helicopter to transport him to Baylor Medical Center of Dallas. Tilton said none of his injuries were life-threatening.
Contact Danny Gallagher at dgallagher@acnpapers.com. To post comments online, access this story at www.scntx.com.
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