Patricia Sharpe writes a regular restaurant column, Pats Pick, for Texas Monthly. Popularity:#1 of 2 Sheriff Departments in Marfa#1 of 3 Sheriff Departments in Presidio County#299 of 347 Sheriff Departments in Texas#3,425 in Sheriff Departments. The problem was that it was impossible to determine who his true adversary was. Click to reveal But Molinar was too cynicalor perhaps too smartto take one step onto what now seemed uncharted grounds. Its a frustrating reality for the Ojinaguenses, who see injustice all the time and who are visibly fed up with their leaders. Jobs are scant besides those in the schools, the government agencies, the ranches and the cantaloupe, onion, and alfalfa fields. The life sentence of former Presidio County Sheriff Rick Thompson for a federal drug trafficking conviction has been reduced to 30 years. Before You Leave, Check This Out. It is a strange, almost surreal situation in which he finds himself. The place had been inhabited by huge, flying roaches when Herrera moved in, but he has obsessively scoured every corner with Lysol and insecticide. In the predawn hours of Dec. 3, 1991 a few miles from the border town of Presidio, federal agents said that a pickup truck with more than a ton of cocaine had forded the Rio Grande. Welcome to the real frontier reads a sign that greets visitors after they have passed Marfa and rolled down the Chinati Mountains on U.S. 67, bumping into the Mexican border an hour later. Social life and even family life here was profoundly international: Often, ones mother, best friend, or significant other lived on the opposite side of a tollbooth. Where citizenship had always been a second thought, now those north of the Rio Grande fiercely asserted their nationality, to the point that Presidios fight for Herrera at times resembled an international war. By Todd Bensman on April 27, 2021. Our peoples spirits. Thompson was president of the Sheriff's Association of Texas, headed a multi-county . They had a common goal: a gaudy, three-foot-tall trophy that when Herrera won, he would showcase in the grocery store he owned with his father, whose patrons were mostly from Mexico. Peters later fled the scene and left multiple individuals at the scene with severe bodily injuries. Create your own unique website with customizable templates. The iconic lawman was once a symbolof the "War on Drugs.". Then there was the victim himself, whose gutsy journalism in one of the most drug-infested corners of Mexico had seemed almost to invite reprisals. MARFA A Texas nonprofit is suing Presidio County Sheriff Danny Dominguez after the group says it struggled to get timely records on who he was keeping in the county jail. Ignoring the presence of a reporter in the room, he issued a stunning declaration. The iconiclawman was once a symbolof the War on Drugs.. She brings him food twice daily and picks out his clothes every morning, carrying them in a plastic grocery bag tied with a knot, then departs with his dirty jeans, shorts, and sweat-stained shirts. Tuesday's course was attended by officers with the Marfa Police Department, the Presidio County Sheriff's Office, the Presidio Police Department, the Texas Department of Public Safety, and by firefighters with the Marfa Volunteer Fire Department. Never thought of this, Andrew Lester Was Scared to Death by Ralph Yarl Before Shooting Him, Budweiser Makes New Enemy With Pro-America Ad, Rat ambassadors try to counter bad press amid NYCs rat war. Rick Thompson was widely admired by Marfa residents and was a shoe-in for his upcoming election to a fifth term as Presidio County Sheriff. The Federal . In 152 years the United States has not figured out what to make of its border with Mexicowhether to open it or close it. The people of Mexico are well aware of that, and even in Presidio one family expressed its frustration by taunting him on an enormous piece of canvas they draped over one side of their house: Seor Fox, if Mexico has truly changed, give Junie back to us. Presidio County Jail & Sheriff320 N. HighlandPO Box VMarfa, TX 79843. Deputies arrived on the scene and assisted the injured passengers when they discovered that the crash was a smuggling attempt gone wrong. The arrest warrant the state police had used when they handcuffed him carried someone elses name. Nerves frayed like an old carpet, Junies mother and sisters decided to wait it out with Herrera, whom the jail guards had allowed to stay in the administrators office. To the racing club, and to almost everyone else in Presidio and Ojinaga, the charges were preposterous. Though in public he exuded confidence, his brother said that privately he appeared frazzled, distressed over the mysterious forces that were keeping Herrera in jail. (432) 729-4308. If you have any information on this or any other illegal activity in Presidio County, please contact the Presidio County Sheriff's Office at 432-729-4848 or 432-729-4911. Ojinaga district attorney Sergio Garca Gmez turned and his eyes met Herreras. The Presidio County Sheriff Office - Annex, located in Presidio, Texas, is a law enforcement agency that promotes public safety in Presidio County through public policing and the management of county jails and inmates. The police swarmed around Herreras 1955 Chevy Bel Air; Herrera, as usual, offered his hand. Ponton, a defense attorney, was hired by Chambers for a weapons charge and suddenly found himself defending a man busted with a ton of cocaine. As far as they know, at five feet four, with dark hair and brown eyes, I make a credible cousin. The Astrodomes Decline From Eighth Wonder to Eighth Blunder of the World, The Top 50 Texas BBQ Joints: 2021 Edition, The Best Little Steakhouse in Texas Turns Forty, A Backsliding Joint Got New Owners and a Whole New Level of Barbecue, Miranda Lamberts Five Must-have Home Goods, A Fredericksburg Couple Forges a New Path With Their Cast-Iron Pans, Another, Quieter Comeback for Billy Gillispie. You know how things work.. County Office is not affiliated with any government agency. Visit MissingKids.com for information on missing Texas children. The Presidio County Sheriff's Office county Jail is the main correctional facility in Presidio county, Texas. Its just that he feels pressure, not directly, but indirectly, said Valentn Escontras Galindo, the jail administrator. The course, though held in Marfa, is a regional affair. Now 73, he lives in Midland, Texas with his wife, and remains close to his two sons and daughter. Drawer V Marfa, TX 79843 Phone: (432) 729-4308 Hours: Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Joel Nunez, Chief Deputy Presidio County Sheriff's Office 320 N. Highland Ave. Although many still believe he was not directly involved in smuggling for an extended period of time, the DEA disputes this and pins several more tons of cocaine and marijuana smuggling on him for at least six years before his arrest. Baca Magaa said he was paid $70,000 for his services. Ojinaga law enforcement officials responded to the blockade with a warning to Herreras friends, delivered through the Presidio County sheriff: Dont cross the border or there could be trouble. And then there are all those unanswered questionswhy Junie?which the Herreras, like other victims of the Mexican justice system, will simply have to let go. For reasons that will never be knownperhaps an error, perhaps a cover-up, perhaps a combination of boththe government proceeded to arrest a different Herrera. With so much drug trafficking and death, the attorney general for the state of Chihuahua, which makes up fully one . June 10, 2020 625 PM. It is known as a leading transshipment point for drugs headed for the United States, and the rugged mountains on both sides of the border serve to shield drug runners. As June dragged on into July, Ojinagas radio talk-show hosts continued to demand Herreras liberty, and callers expressed outrage at the entrenched corruption of their justice system. It was yet another layer of silence in the Mexican justice system. Call it a doorway or call it a fence. Thats what they want, to see you look discouraged. PETERS attempted to smuggle five undocumented individuals into the United States using an aircraft. Address, Phone Number, and Fax Number for Presidio County Sheriff's Office, a Sheriff Department, at Highland Street, Marfa TX. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. Then they brought out the handcuffs. July 14, 2021 1151 AM. The governments sole witness, a heroin addict and prostitute who habitually robbed her clients, was in jail for theft the day she said she saw Herrera shoot the journalist. The personal scars also will take time to fade. PETERS then fled the scene left multiple individuals at the scene with severe bodily injuries. Emailus. On his bed is a pile of books, topped by Chicken Soup for the Soul in Spanish. I dont know what words they [state prosecutors] use to suggest that Junie shouldnt be let out. On Thursday, July 12, those who attended the Rosary of Liberation tacked on a word to their prayer: Jesus, free Junie tomorrow. Friday, July 13, was the longest day the Herreras will ever remember. It seemed that God had heard Presidios and Ojinagas prayers. Leave them blank to get signed up. Phone: 432-729-4911. Then things got worse. People running in their skivvies tend to stand out, officials said. The attorneys face softened. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. Peters time on the lam lasted only three months, however. The Texas Fair Defense Project, a group that fights against the criminalization of poverty, last month filed a lawsuit against Sheriff Dominguez in . El Fay then declared to the court that the man La Tecata had described was Otoniel Herrera Valds, El Jimmy, a customer of his and, he thought, the son of a Presidio grocer. The Sheriff's Office is responsible for patrolling any unincorporated areas of the county or areas not covered by the municipal Police force as well as enforcing legal judgments such as foreclosures, repossessions, and tax delinquencies. AN ORDER APPROVING AN ENGAGEMENT AGREEMENT FOR BOND COUNSEL LEGAL SERVICES WITH NORTON ROSE FULBRIGHT US LLP; AND OTHER MATTERS IN CONNECTION THEREWITH, Public Hearing on Proposed Presidio County Budget. Many were injured on impact but Peters managed to flee the scene of the smuggling attempt gone wrong.. In the predawn hours of Dec. 3, 1991 a few miles from the border town of Presidio, federal agents said that a pickup truck with more than a ton of cocaine had forded the Rio Grande. He said that he had kept her informed of the prosecutions maneuvers even before she took the case and that she had already decided that it was nonsense. Jurado Contreras delivered her decision in roughly a week. Baca Magaa said it was because he had managed to have the appeal assigned to a single judge: his old college classmate, Magistrate Jurado Contreras. The fountain, which flanks the January 8th Memorial at the west entrance of the Pima County Historic Courthouse, was shut down several years ago due to concerns about leaking and possible damage to the underground parking garage beneath it. You have to have courage because I dont want them to see you like this. Privacy Policy If you have any information on this or any other illegal activity in Presidio County, please contact the Presidio County Sheriffs office at 432-729-4848 or 432-729-4911. His brown-paneled bedroom in the tidy brick home where he still lives with his parents has all the trappings of the archetypal single guy: a computer for late-night Web surfing, stacks of paperback mysteries, Selena and Dale Earnhardt posters, and a glass-covered collection of Zippo lighters. According to authorities, Tobias Penner Peters is wanted for his involvement in a human trafficking attempt on December 30, 2021. El Fay, whose arms are lined with puffy pink scars where he slashes them when he goes through withdrawal, told me that he was offered eight payments, which he gladly took to buy his drugs. He lives in a six- by eight-foot cell, into which he has crammed a twin bed given to him by a family friend so that he will not have to sleep on a dingy sponge mattress like the other prisoners. The judiciales shook it. His grandfather had founded the business in 1929, and when Junie, the third generation, joined his father, Jesus Chuchi Herrera, in management, the local paper commemorated the event with a front-page shot of the two men shaking hands in front of the produce section. That would seem to narrow the field to his assistant attorney general who had headed the investigation, the state judiciales who had arrested Herrera, and the district attorneys who had collected the evidence. Presidio, though, is hardly immune to the lucrative border business. They want me to describe what life has been like for this family since April 29. It was a messy job to disentangle their personal loyalties from their newfound distrust of the Mexican government. PETERS is believes to have severe head trauma and possibly lost an eye during the event.. All rights reserved. If you have any information on this or any other illegal activity in Presidio County, please contact the Presidio County Sheriff's Office at 432-729-4848 or 432-729-4911. Mexican president Vicente Foxs vision, as he has told his Cabinet, is more explicit: Punch as many holes in it as you can. Nearby, a deputy sheriff grinned as Herrera drove away and said, Its good to have you back home.. In 1990 American journalist Terrence Poppa published Drug Lord, an enthralling look at Acostas life in which he argued that drug dealing in Chihuahua and throughout Mexico is controlled and protected top-down, involving state governorships, federal and state police, and the military. His leg shakes constantly as he absently traces circles in the center of his forehead with his index finger. Hug your cousin! Junie Herrera looks only briefly confused when he turns to me. Former Presidio County Sheriff Rick Thompson MARFA As the town slept fitfully late Dec. 3, 1991, its single traffic light blinking out a perfect pulse, shadowy figures moved through the streets, while others lurked on the outskirts. Lucia Herrera said that the family also paid $12,000 to their first attorney and several thousand to a third lawyer who assisted Baca Magaa. Tobias Penner . You must sign-up to be notified of emergencies. He catches on and leans down for a tentative hug and kiss, the same as he gives his mother, Lucia, and his other sister, Chely Baeza. Because of the two towns isolationtwo and a half hours to the nearest Wal-Mart in Fort Stockton or Chihuahua Citythey had come to depend on the border economy. CountyOffice.org does not provide consumer reports and is not a consumer reporting agency as defined by the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). 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