___________________________________
Date Published: July 1, 2004
Israelis released on bond in Florida
Author: RON SCALF
Johnson City Press
ERWIN - Two Israeli nationals who spent time in the Unicoi County Jail after leading Sheriff Kent Harris on a high-speed chase near Flag Pond in April have been released on bond in Miami, Harris said Thursday.
"I understand they made an appearance bond, but I don't know who made the bond for them," Harris said. "They are scheduled to appear in federal court on Sept. 7 for possible deportation."
"The procedure is to hold a hearing, and apparently their papers were not in order, and we don't tolerate breaking the rules," said Temple Black, an immigration spokesman in New Orleans.
Almaliach Naor, 23, and Shnuel Dahan, 19, spent three days in the Unicoi County Jail after their arrest near Flag Pond. Dahan possessed a fake driver's license he later said he used to get into clubs in Miami. He also had a "Learn to Fly" card in his wallet that alerted Harris to contact the FBI. Naor had a bank account in Florida showing a balance of more than $11,000.
The men said they got lost on the two-lane highway while traveling through Unicoi County on their way to Boston from Pleasantville, Fla., to deliver a truckload of old furniture.
Following their arraignment in Sessions Court, the two were released to immigration officials after paying fines for speeding, littering and failure to stop for a police officer. The FBI checked their backgrounds and didn't find them wanted on any federal lists, Harris said. They spent time in Knoxville before being transferred to Miami.
In Atlanta, Assistant Israeli Consul General Aviz Ezra said law enforcement officials were overzealous in their investigation. He said last week that the case "was a private, personal matter between the INS officials and the men."
"The only crime that I know they are perhaps guilty of is being in the country without the proper papers," Ezra said.
The duo entered the United States last winter with tourist visas that have since expired.
Don't know if this got posted anywhere. It slipped my mind until I reread the Syrian dance band thread
Story is a couple of weeks old; had slipped my mind until today.
Reporter is a local guy.
Seem to be quite a few undocumented Israelis moving furniture lately.
HERE IS ANOTHER REPORT IN MAY ON THIS INCIDENT:
printable version
with comments
Two Israelis Arrested After High-Speed Chase in Tennessee
by j Wednesday, May 12 2004, 6:55am
international / anti-war / news report
Just Another Israeli Moving Company
" Harris said he saw the men throw something from the truck while they were being pursued. Officers scouring the area later found a vial containing an unknown substance along the roadway, he said. Once the men were apprehended, officers also found a "Learn to Fly" brochure in the truck, leading Harris and others to express concern about security at the Nuclear Fuel Services plant in Erwin." I got a sick feeling when I saw it, he said."
Two Men Arrested After High-Speed Chase in Tennessee
Monday, May 10, 2004
Two Israeli men who led the Unicoi County (Tennessee) sheriff on a high-speed chase in a rented moving truck were
placed under arrest and are being investigated by the FBI, local officials said.
Shmuel Dahan and Almaliach Naor, both from Israel, were being held without bond Sunday afternoon at the Unicoi
County Jail. The truck, rented from a Ryder office in Mars Hills, N.C., was being held in the county garage pending an
FBI investigation, officials said.
Dahan is charged with reckless driving, littering, false identification and evading arrest, while Naor faces charges of
false identification and evading arrest, an officer with the Unicoi County Sheriff's Department who would not give his
name said Sunday.
An investigation by the FBI is ongoing and more charges are possible, he said. A woman who answered the phone at
the FBI's Knoxville office said there was no one available to answer questions about the arrest.
The incident began late Saturday afternoon when Sheriff Kent Harris noticed a rental truck traveling at a high speed
along former U.S. Highway 23, a lightly-traveled highway near the North Carolina state line.
"I was really concerned because the driver would not stop after I flashed my headlights for nearly three miles," Harris
said. "He was weaving back and forth and I was wondering what a large (rental truck) was doing on the two-lane
highway late Saturday afternoon instead of the faster I-26 Interstate."
Harris said he saw the men throw something from the truck while they were being pursued. Officers scouring the area
later found a vial containing an unknown substance along the roadway, he said.
Once the men were apprehended, officers also found a "Learn to Fly" brochure in the truck, leading Harris and others
to express concern about security at the Nuclear Fuel Services plant in Erwin.
"I got a sick feeling when I saw it," Harris said.
Dahan also gave authorities a fake Florida driver's license issues in Plantation, Fla., he said, while Naor produced a
fake identification card.
Harris subsequently contacted the FBI, the federal Bureau of Tobacco and Firearms and other local authorities to look
into the situation.
"We're not overreacting," Harris said. "We have a responsibility to protect the citizens of Unicoi County and that's what
I'm going to do at any cost. I'd rather overreact, if that's what you call it, than be sorry later."
-ap
http://www.fox21.com/Global/story.asp?S=
The above link has timed out but Fox21 may be able to help you get copy.