LAREDO, Texas – U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), officers at the Laredo Port of Entry, detained two men wanted for sexual offenses involving a child. The two arrests were separate, unrelated incidents, whose warrants pertained to different counties in Texas.
“Crimes involving sexual, physical or psychological abuse are particularly serious and can have a lasting effect on the victims. CBP collaborates with other law enforcement agencies to bring those persons we encounter facing outstanding warrants for allegedly committing these offenses to justice,” said Acting Port Director Eugene Crawford, Laredo Port of Entry.
The first fugitive apprehension occurred on Tuesday, June 8th, at the Gateway to the Americas Bridge. A CBP officer processing vehicular traffic arriving from Mexico, referred Rodolfo Angel Tienda, a 59-year-old male United States citizen, for a secondary inspection. After escorting the passenger to secondary, subsequent biometric verification through law enforcement databases confirmed that the subject had an outstanding felony warrant for sexual abuse of a child under the age of 14 out of the Zapata County Sheriff’s Office located in Zapata, Texas. The warrant was confirmed to be active. The subject was turned over to the Zapata County Sheriff’s Office to await criminal proceedings.
Later that evening, officers processing buses at the Juarez-Lincoln International Bridge apprehended Juan Carlos Martinez, a 29-year-old male United States citizen, as a bus passenger making entry from Mexico. Martinez was referred and escorted to secondary for further inspection. Subsequent biometric verification through law enforcement databases confirmed that the subject had an outstanding felony warrant for indecency with a child/ sexual contact out of the Dallas County Sheriff’s Office located in Dallas, Texas. The warrant was confirmed to be active. CBP officers transported the wanted fugitive to Webb County Jail in Laredo, Texas to await criminal proceedings.
The National Crime Information Center (NCIC) is a centralized automated database designed to share information among law enforcement agencies including outstanding warrants for a wide range of offenses. Based on information from NCIC, CBP officers have made previous arrests of individuals wanted for homicide, escape, money laundering, robbery, narcotics distribution, sexual child abuse, fraud, larceny, and military desertion. Criminal charges are merely allegations. Defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
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