Posted on 02/04/2007 9:18:16 AM PST by SwinneySwitch
LAREDO — The Piedras Negras Police Department remained on a tight leash Saturday after a Mexican police officer and cadet were arrested in the alleged rape of a 22-year-old San Antonio woman.
Piedras Negras police identified the accused as veteran officer Jonás Santiago Morales, 42, and police cadet Oscar Ramírez Vázquez, 20.
Both were suspended as the investigation into the Saturday morning incident continued, according to local news reports.
The officers deny the allegations.
Piedras Negras is across the border from Eagle Pass, about two hours south of San Antonio.
The details of the incident, as told by the accuser, paint the type of picture that rankles Mexican officials who are fighting an apparent endless battle against corruption.
Investigators at the Coahuila state attorney general's office didn't return repeated phone calls Saturday.
In an interview with the San Antonio Express-News, the alleged victim said the officers repeatedly ignored her pleas to take her to her boyfriend's home — where she was staying — while they took her on a nightmarish pre-dawn drive across the city.
It's the policy of the Express-News not to name victims in sexual assaults.
The ordeal started just before 3 a.m. Saturday, the accuser said, after she and her boyfriend got into a fight.
Sitting on some steps less than a block away from the city's police station, she was calling friends in San Antonio when the pair of officers stopped and motioned her over, the accuser said.
"The whole time I wasn't really understanding them in Spanish and they weren't really understanding my English," she said.
Nonetheless, following the officers' instructions, the woman got in the police car, ostensibly to get a ride back to her boyfriend's home.
Instead, the officers dropped by Santiago's home, where he picked up a bottle of brandy that they later tried to force her to drink, the accuser said.
After driving around for more than an hour, both officers sexually assaulted her in a field, the woman said.
Fright set in early during the trip. "I was afraid for my life if I tried to run," the accuser said.
At about 5 a.m., the cops dropped her off where she had originally asked.
The incident was the third rape accusation made against the Piedras Negras Police Department in the past year, the newspaper Vanguardia reported.
Santiago was accused of rape last year in a case that was dropped because of lack of evidence, according to Vanguardia.
For similar reasons, a rape charge against another officer at the end of last year also was dropped, the paper said.
The news has put the border city's trust in its Police Department at risk.
In response, the city's mayor, Jesús Mario Flores, gave his police chief instructions to maintain "severe control" of all 160 police officers 24 hours a day, the Milenio newspaper reported.
"We've handed this over to the proper authorities," police chief Roberto Múzquiz said at a press conference in Piedras Negras Saturday.
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mcastillo@express-news.net
Piedras Negras Ping!
If you want on, or off this S. Texas/Mexico ping list, please FReepMail me.
Why anyone would go into that horrible country is beyond me....
I was not aware that San Antonio was a sanctuary city. I know Mayor Hardberger has said, "If a Sanctuary City means disobeying the laws... no I would not support that. I will support the laws, I took an oath that I would and I will."
When did his position change?
I know Patti Radle is a social justice nut. She always has been, but I just can't see the rest of the city council going along with her goofy ideas.
WoC Ersatz news service reports: US DOJ to look into possible violations of the officers' human rights? "Though the reported incident took place in Mexico we feel that since the accuser is an American the officers are protected by the Constitution," said a DOJ employee.
Not a joking matter? Neither is DOJ's "hurt a drug smuggler, go to prison" border patrol policy.
Where have you been? It's been reported many times.
BTW, weren't you the one last year who didn't care if illegals were living on your property?
Well two of our border agents got 12 years for shooting a Mexican drug dealer in the ass. I wonder what these two amigo's are going to get ???
If they held a sling shot to her head they are in deep trouble.
This lady dosnt sound too bright.
Sitting on a step at 3am in Mexico
Her boyfriend is Mexican?
Its not like there havent been hundreds of warnings about Mexico,and its police.
Calling firneds in San Antonio thats at least 2 hours away she sure wouldnt get hel from ther before daylight.
I dont mean to excuse the police in any way,but this gal is stupidly irresponsible to place gerself in this position.
I searched on the internet, and searched San Antonio City council minutes, and did not find any reference to the City Council voting to officially designate San Antonio as a Sanctuary City.
If you could point me to a source for the City Council voting to designate San Antonio as a Sanctuary City, I'd appreciate it.
Yes, that was me, and you'll be happy to know that the last time I was out there, I saw no illegals camping out on my property.
Time to close the border, from our side. Let the merchants in Tijuana, Nogales, Juarez, Piedras Negras, Nueva Laredo, and Matamoros do without the Gringo dollars for a while. (Even if many of those "Gringos" are, in many cases ethnically indistinguishable from the local Mexican residents of those cities.)
BTW, most (or all) of the border towns of Mexico are already "OFF LIMITS" to US Military personnel.
I'm with you - haven't seen any attempt to designate SA a sanctuary city, and to the best of my knowledge, we're not.
Lets not get into a game of blame the victim.
family values once again crosses the rio grande, is what they say on American Patrol.
now that's just silly I'm sure there are. We just don't need them coming over the border and complicating the problem.
Now that's just silly. This happened on their side of the border.
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