False identity as sex offender leads to arrest (of illegal alien)

The Fargo Forum ^ | 12/11/03 | Lisa Schneider

[Uncle Miltie]

West Fargo officers arrested a 45-year-old man early Wednesday for being an unregistered sex offender, only to find out he wasn’t a sex offender at all.

Alejandro Barrera Lopez, 1700 3rd Ave. S., Moorhead, showed officers false identification at 8 a.m., Tuesday, when stopped for a minor traffic violation, police said.

Lopez was trying to mask his status as an illegal immigrant from Mexico with fictitious Minnesota identification and Social Security cards, police said.

The false identification pegged him as an unregistered sex offender from San Antonio.

More than 17 hours after officers conducted the initial traffic stop, police said they arrested Lopez at West Fargo’s Sunset Motel, 731 Main Ave., for being an unregistered sex offender.

When officers explained to Lopez the reason for his arrest, Lopez identified himself as an illegal immigrant who had crossed into the United States at Douglas, Ariz.

Agents from the U.S. Border Patrol at Grand Forks, N.D., served as translators between officers and Lopez, said Brett Baumann, assistant chief patrol agent for the Grand Forks sector of the U.S. Border Patrol.

It was “very unlucky” and “pretty bad timing” for Lopez to assume the identity of a sex offender given the recent focus on such individuals, he said.

Illegal immigrants routinely use illegal documents to be able to work in the country. Lopez had been working odd jobs in the United States since January 2001, Baumann said.

The Grand Forks sector of the U.S. Border Patrol picked up Lopez from the Cass County Jail Wednesday morning.

Lopez, who’s from Mexico, will either be sent to El Paso, Texas, where he’ll voluntarily leave the United States, or he can choose to attend immigration hearings, Baumann said.

[Uncle Miltie]

D'Oh! Illegal immigrant steals the identity of a registered sex offender. Jokes at 11:00.

[stuartcr]

He must not have had internet access to see the list of sex offenders.

[Theo]

... where he’ll voluntarily leave the United States ...

Right.

[gubamyster]

ping

[NewRomeTacitus]

Mad Hatter's tea party ping.

[Teacher317]

He must not have had internet access to see the list of sex offenders.

So i's America's fault. Expect the Dem contenders to offer free internet access for all illegals soon.

[stuartcr]

What? You must have thought really hard to stretch my comment into something like this.

[Teacher317]

It was meant in half-jest by using some Dem-think. It was not mean to be ascribed to you.

But can't you just see Nancy Pelosi saying that in Congress?

[stuartcr]

Sorry, I've been getting some really mean comments lately. You're right though, if the poor man just could have gone on-line, (which is every humans right), he could have stolen a better ID.

[FITZ]

If you steal the identity of some other criminal ---- then you should be facing the consequences of their actions. Plus document theft is a felony crime in itself.

[sweetliberty]

"Lopez, who’s from Mexico, will either be sent to El Paso, Texas, where he’ll voluntarily leave the United States, or he can choose to attend immigration hearings"

Say what? At first I was gonna say that it was backdoor justice, but it seems that he will get a pass if he doesn't choose to go back to Mexico. What is it about "illegal" that low enforcement and politicians have such a hard time grasping?

[sweetliberty]

"Plus document theft is a felony crime in itself"

Apparently not for illegals.