August 19, 2008 - 7:32PM
Jeremy Roebuck
McALLEN - An alleged gang member who pleaded guilty to shooting a federal agent in 2005 is too mentally disturbed to serve time in a regular prison, his attorney said Tuesday.
Leobardo Villarreal, 25, had already been diagnosed as moderately retarded before he shot U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent Maria Olga Ochoa during a carjacking attempt March 5, 2005.
But his condition has severely deteriorated since his arrest, attorney Mauro Barreiro said.
"If he's not legally competent to serve his sentence, they have to place him in a facility that can treat him," he said.
Prosecutors allege Villarreal, a purported member of the Hermanos Pistoleros gang, attacked Ochoa while he was working as a lookout for drug smugglers trying to hustle 700 pounds of marijuana through Bentsen State Park.
On orders from another man, Villarreal approached Ochoa's unmarked vehicle near the intersection of Breyfogle Road and Business 83 in Peñitas, tapped his gun against the window and then shot through the door hitting her in the foot, according to a criminal complaint filed in his case.
Upon his arrest, Villarreal was placed in an isolated unit and the stress of confinement quickly began to take its toll on him, Barreiro said.
About six months later, in September 2005, Villarreal cut open his arm in what his attorney describes as a suicide attempt. But while being transported to McAllen Medical Center to treat the wound, the gang member struck U.S. Marshals and managed to escape from his ambulance.
He fled across Expressway 83, carjacked a vehicle and managed to elude recapture for more than six months. He was eventually arrested in Lopezville in March 2006, after his case was featured on the television show "America's Most Wanted."
While investigators maintain the suicide attempt was a calculated move to break out of custody, Barreiro believes his client was so emotionally disturbed by the conditions of his confinement that he was willing to do anything to get out.
"They put him in isolation...," he said. "I suspect that's causing a lot of his problems."
During a competency hearing Tuesday, Barreiro asked U.S. District Judge Ricardo Hinojosa to consider placing Villarreal in a facility equipped to handle psychiatric care.
In the past several months, the gang member reported that he has begun talking to himself and seeing gargoyles in his cell, according to court documents.
Barreiro also maintains that his client's troubled family life and history of mental problems should play a factor in the sentencing decision. A second-generation gang member, Villarreal grew up without a father and has been previously diagnosed with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.
"His whole family is dysfunctional," he said. "They suffer from every setback possible."
On Tuesday, Hinojosa said he would decide which role Villarreal's mental condition should play in his sentencing during a hearing scheduled for Aug. 27.
____
Jeremy Roebuck covers courts and general assignments for The Monitor. You can reach him at (956) 683-4437.
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Showing posts with label US Marshals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label US Marshals. Show all posts
June 30, 2008
Operation FALCON 2008 Rounds Up Dangerous Fugitives in the Permian Basin
Operation FALCON 2008 Rounds Up Dangerous Fugitives in the Permian Basin
June 30, 2008
Midland, TX – Following a four-year tradition of success in its national efforts, the U.S. Marshals Service locally conducted another successful Operation FALCON (Federal and Local Cops Organized Nationally) from June 23-June 29. Led by the U.S. Marshal Service, Operation FALCON is a nationwide law enforcement effort.
Operation FALCON 2008–Permian Basin, combined the collective efforts of multiple law enforcement agencies focusing on capturing individuals wanted on Federal and State felony charges including narcotics violations, state parole and probation violations, and other crimes of violence. Over the course of the six-day operation, the combined resources of federal, state, and local law enforcement officers arrested 105 fugitives, and cleared 121 warrants in the Permian Basin.
“This operation, along with the ongoing efforts of the Lone Star Fugitive Task Force in the Western District of Texas, provides a clear indication of our commitment to ensuring the safety of our community” said LaFayette Collins, U.S. Marshal for the Western District of Texas. “The combined efforts of federal, state, and local law enforcement should send a strong message to those who are wanted, that there is no safe haven for them to hide.“
Operation FALCON – Permian Basin, consisted of officers with The U.S. Marshals from Midland, Pecos, and Alpine, Midland Police Department, Odessa Police Department, Midland County Sheriff’s Office, Ector County Sheriff’s Office, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Texas Department of Public Safety, and Midland Independent School District Police.
Since its inception in 2005, Operation FALCON has made over 36,500 arrests and cleared over 45,300 warrants. It continues to be the largest and most successful fugitive apprehension effort in U.S. Marshals history.
For more information about the U.S. Marshals Service, visit http://www.usmarshals.gov.
America’s Oldest Federal Law Enforcement Agency
FOR INFORMATION CONTACT:
June 30, 2008 Phill Maxwell, Supervisory Deputy U.S. Marshal
(432) 686-4100, ext.223
Billy Johnson, Supervisory Deputy U.S. Marshal
(432) 445-5495, ext. 44
June 30, 2008
Midland, TX – Following a four-year tradition of success in its national efforts, the U.S. Marshals Service locally conducted another successful Operation FALCON (Federal and Local Cops Organized Nationally) from June 23-June 29. Led by the U.S. Marshal Service, Operation FALCON is a nationwide law enforcement effort.
Operation FALCON 2008–Permian Basin, combined the collective efforts of multiple law enforcement agencies focusing on capturing individuals wanted on Federal and State felony charges including narcotics violations, state parole and probation violations, and other crimes of violence. Over the course of the six-day operation, the combined resources of federal, state, and local law enforcement officers arrested 105 fugitives, and cleared 121 warrants in the Permian Basin.
“This operation, along with the ongoing efforts of the Lone Star Fugitive Task Force in the Western District of Texas, provides a clear indication of our commitment to ensuring the safety of our community” said LaFayette Collins, U.S. Marshal for the Western District of Texas. “The combined efforts of federal, state, and local law enforcement should send a strong message to those who are wanted, that there is no safe haven for them to hide.“
Operation FALCON – Permian Basin, consisted of officers with The U.S. Marshals from Midland, Pecos, and Alpine, Midland Police Department, Odessa Police Department, Midland County Sheriff’s Office, Ector County Sheriff’s Office, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Texas Department of Public Safety, and Midland Independent School District Police.
Since its inception in 2005, Operation FALCON has made over 36,500 arrests and cleared over 45,300 warrants. It continues to be the largest and most successful fugitive apprehension effort in U.S. Marshals history.
For more information about the U.S. Marshals Service, visit http://www.usmarshals.gov.
America’s Oldest Federal Law Enforcement Agency
FOR INFORMATION CONTACT:
June 30, 2008 Phill Maxwell, Supervisory Deputy U.S. Marshal
(432) 686-4100, ext.223
Billy Johnson, Supervisory Deputy U.S. Marshal
(432) 445-5495, ext. 44
223 arrested in sweep
By Daniel Borunda / El Paso Times
Article Launched: 06/30/2008 12:00:00 AM MDT
A U.S. Marshals deputy and another law enforcement officer take positions to secure an El Paso home during a warrant roundup last week named Operation Falcon 08. (Courtesy of U.S. Marshals Service )More than 200 fugitives, including a reputed member of a street gang linked to soldiers at Fort Bliss, were arrested last week in El Paso by a small army of law enforcement officers as part of one of the largest warrant sweeps in the city in years.
The massive number of arrests were part of Operation Falcon 08, a multi-agency effort lead by the U.S. Marshals Service intended to catch people wanted on warrants for violent crimes, sex offenses and other crimes.
"We measure success one fugitive at a time," LaFayette Collins, U.S. Marshal for the Western District of Texas, said in a statement. "Any time we remove a sexual predator, gang member, or other violent felon, that street, a neighborhood and a community became a little safer."
Operation Falcon, which stands for Federal And Local Cops Organized Nationally, is an effort that has taken place in different cities throughout the United States in recent years but had not in El Paso since 2006. The effort included the work of El Paso police, sheriff's deputies and several state and federal agencies.
The operation netted 223 arrests with 321 warrants cleared, including 69 people wanted for violent crimes, 14 for sex offenses and 70 in drug cases, officials said.
U.S. Marshals Service officials said arrests began throughout El Paso in the pre-dawn hours a week ago today and continued daily through Saturday. The arrests were conducted by 80 officers from various federal, state and local agencies organized into 10 teams.
"We participate in many initiatives and this is one of them," El Paso County Sheriff Jimmy Apodaca said. "We do this to make sure El Paso is a better and safer place to live by going after people wanted on warrants."
Among those arrested was Elbert Mullin, an alleged member of the Georgia Boys, connected to the Gangster Disciples, U.S. Marshals Service supervisory deputy Gerry Payan said.
The Gangster Disciples, which was created in south Chicago in the 1960s, is one of the largest street gangs in the nation.
The Georgia Boys have been linked to soldiers at Fort Bliss, according to a U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command report in 2006 about gang activity in the military.
In 2006, four soldiers believed to be associated with the Georgia Boys assaulted and robbed two soldiers in a parking lot on post, stated the report labeled as law enforcement sensitive. Two of the soldiers in the robbery were court-martialed and found guilty. The other two were found guilty of violating Army regulations.
The report assessed the gang threat at Fort Bliss as "low."
Mullin, 28, was allegedly in possession of a handgun when he was captured Friday on two prior counts of unlawful possession of a firearm and other charges, Payan said. It was unknown if Mullin has ties to the military.
The round up included a total of 12 suspected members of various gangs.
Assistant Chief Deputy Michael Troyanski of the Marshals Service in El Paso said such warrant operations are vital since fugitives pose one of the greatest risks to the law enforcement because they are more likely to assault an officer in an attempt to evade capture.
Daniel Borunda may be reached at dborunda@elpasotimes.com;546-6102.
Operation Falcon
Operation Falcon 08 in El Paso consisted of officers from:
U.S. Marshals Service, Border Patrol, Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General, the FBI, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and Explosives, U.S. Probation, Texas Department of Public Safety, Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission, Texas Office of the Inspector General, El Paso County Sheriff's Office, El Paso Police Department and El Paso County Constable Precinct 5.
Article Launched: 06/30/2008 12:00:00 AM MDT
A U.S. Marshals deputy and another law enforcement officer take positions to secure an El Paso home during a warrant roundup last week named Operation Falcon 08. (Courtesy of U.S. Marshals Service )More than 200 fugitives, including a reputed member of a street gang linked to soldiers at Fort Bliss, were arrested last week in El Paso by a small army of law enforcement officers as part of one of the largest warrant sweeps in the city in years.
The massive number of arrests were part of Operation Falcon 08, a multi-agency effort lead by the U.S. Marshals Service intended to catch people wanted on warrants for violent crimes, sex offenses and other crimes.
"We measure success one fugitive at a time," LaFayette Collins, U.S. Marshal for the Western District of Texas, said in a statement. "Any time we remove a sexual predator, gang member, or other violent felon, that street, a neighborhood and a community became a little safer."
Operation Falcon, which stands for Federal And Local Cops Organized Nationally, is an effort that has taken place in different cities throughout the United States in recent years but had not in El Paso since 2006. The effort included the work of El Paso police, sheriff's deputies and several state and federal agencies.
The operation netted 223 arrests with 321 warrants cleared, including 69 people wanted for violent crimes, 14 for sex offenses and 70 in drug cases, officials said.
U.S. Marshals Service officials said arrests began throughout El Paso in the pre-dawn hours a week ago today and continued daily through Saturday. The arrests were conducted by 80 officers from various federal, state and local agencies organized into 10 teams.
"We participate in many initiatives and this is one of them," El Paso County Sheriff Jimmy Apodaca said. "We do this to make sure El Paso is a better and safer place to live by going after people wanted on warrants."
Among those arrested was Elbert Mullin, an alleged member of the Georgia Boys, connected to the Gangster Disciples, U.S. Marshals Service supervisory deputy Gerry Payan said.
The Gangster Disciples, which was created in south Chicago in the 1960s, is one of the largest street gangs in the nation.
The Georgia Boys have been linked to soldiers at Fort Bliss, according to a U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command report in 2006 about gang activity in the military.
In 2006, four soldiers believed to be associated with the Georgia Boys assaulted and robbed two soldiers in a parking lot on post, stated the report labeled as law enforcement sensitive. Two of the soldiers in the robbery were court-martialed and found guilty. The other two were found guilty of violating Army regulations.
The report assessed the gang threat at Fort Bliss as "low."
Mullin, 28, was allegedly in possession of a handgun when he was captured Friday on two prior counts of unlawful possession of a firearm and other charges, Payan said. It was unknown if Mullin has ties to the military.
The round up included a total of 12 suspected members of various gangs.
Assistant Chief Deputy Michael Troyanski of the Marshals Service in El Paso said such warrant operations are vital since fugitives pose one of the greatest risks to the law enforcement because they are more likely to assault an officer in an attempt to evade capture.
Daniel Borunda may be reached at dborunda@elpasotimes.com;546-6102.
Operation Falcon
Operation Falcon 08 in El Paso consisted of officers from:
U.S. Marshals Service, Border Patrol, Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General, the FBI, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and Explosives, U.S. Probation, Texas Department of Public Safety, Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission, Texas Office of the Inspector General, El Paso County Sheriff's Office, El Paso Police Department and El Paso County Constable Precinct 5.
June 26, 2008
Bones solve 17-year-old missing person case
Woman went missing after graduation
By David Kassabian (Contact)
Originally published 04:18 a.m., June 26, 2008
Updated 04:18 a.m., June 26, 2008
A farmer's discovery and a DNA swab from a missing woman's grandparents led investigators to a woman killed 17 years ago and the Tuesday arrest of a man connected to the incident.
U.S. Marshals arrested 37-year-old Carlos Zuniga Jr. in connection with the 1991 death of an 18-year-old Victoria woman who vanished two weeks after her high school graduation, said Jim Wells County Sheriff's Department Sgt. Jose S. Martinez III.
The search for April Ann Repka went cold for more than a decade, until a farmer in 2004 found a skull and femur while digging a trench in a field about six miles south of Alice, Martinez said. The remains were sent to a lab in Denton with the hopes DNA could be matched.
The identity of the remains were still a mystery until 2007, when a Victoria County Sheriff's Department investigator asked for help from Jim Wells County authorities with the missing person case. Repka's grandparents submitted a DNA sample that was sent to Denton. Soon after, match test results came back positive.
"Back in 1991, we didn't know we had a homicide or even a crime scene," Martinez said. "In 2004, we thought the remains might have been of an undocumented immigrant passing through the area, which we get a lot of."
After the match, local investigators asked the FBI for help re-examining the field, and a team combing the area found several other items that belonged to Repka, including a class ring and bracelet as well as more bones.
Information obtained when authorities questioned a former Victoria resident three weeks ago led to Zuniga.
He was arrested by authorities in the 2800 block of Niagara Street and brought to the Nueces County jail, where he remained Wednesday evening on a $500,000 bond on a capital murder charge.
Martinez would not release details on how or where Repka died, citing an ongoing investigation, but said that she likely was stabbed.
Contact David Kassabian at 886-3778 or kassabiand@caller.com
By David Kassabian (Contact)
Originally published 04:18 a.m., June 26, 2008
Updated 04:18 a.m., June 26, 2008
A farmer's discovery and a DNA swab from a missing woman's grandparents led investigators to a woman killed 17 years ago and the Tuesday arrest of a man connected to the incident.
U.S. Marshals arrested 37-year-old Carlos Zuniga Jr. in connection with the 1991 death of an 18-year-old Victoria woman who vanished two weeks after her high school graduation, said Jim Wells County Sheriff's Department Sgt. Jose S. Martinez III.
The search for April Ann Repka went cold for more than a decade, until a farmer in 2004 found a skull and femur while digging a trench in a field about six miles south of Alice, Martinez said. The remains were sent to a lab in Denton with the hopes DNA could be matched.
The identity of the remains were still a mystery until 2007, when a Victoria County Sheriff's Department investigator asked for help from Jim Wells County authorities with the missing person case. Repka's grandparents submitted a DNA sample that was sent to Denton. Soon after, match test results came back positive.
"Back in 1991, we didn't know we had a homicide or even a crime scene," Martinez said. "In 2004, we thought the remains might have been of an undocumented immigrant passing through the area, which we get a lot of."
After the match, local investigators asked the FBI for help re-examining the field, and a team combing the area found several other items that belonged to Repka, including a class ring and bracelet as well as more bones.
Information obtained when authorities questioned a former Victoria resident three weeks ago led to Zuniga.
He was arrested by authorities in the 2800 block of Niagara Street and brought to the Nueces County jail, where he remained Wednesday evening on a $500,000 bond on a capital murder charge.
Martinez would not release details on how or where Repka died, citing an ongoing investigation, but said that she likely was stabbed.
Contact David Kassabian at 886-3778 or kassabiand@caller.com
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