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MEAN STREETS MEDIA
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
BAGHDAD ( At Least 14 Dead in Ambush in Western Iraq - 11 border guard died )
BAGHDAD – At least 14
people, among them 11 members of the Border Guard, died Wednesday in an ambush
staged by an armed group in a desert area of the western Iraqi province of Al
Anbar.A police source told Efe that the attackers fired on a four-vehicle convoy consisting of two police and two civilian vehicles.
The convoy was traveling from the city of Karbala to Al Anbar when the attack was launched at a fake checkpoint set up by the ambush squad.
The attack occurred on a highway in a desert portion of Al Najib, 150 kilometers (96 miles) southwest of the city of Ramadi, the capital of Al Anbar.
After the incident, security forces closed off all access to the zone and began an operation to capture the attackers and transport the bodies to the hospital.
May was the bloodiest month in Iraq for more than five years, with 1,045 people losing their lives in acts of violence, compared to 712 deaths the month before, according to the U.N. mission in the country.
In addition, 2,397 people were wounded in the upsurge in violence, especially sectarian attacks. EFE
San Juan ( Two men shot and killed on the Puerto Rican Island of Vieques ) Drug wars
Two Slain on Puerto Rican Island of Vieques
SAN JUAN – Two men were murdered
Wednesday in the Puerto Rican island municipality of Vieques, which is enduring
a crime wave linked to drug trafficking.
The Puerto Rico Police Department said that the bodies of the two men were found with multiple gunshot wounds near the former U.S. Navy base on Vieques.
An investigation into the killings is under way but no information has been uncovered yet regarding the motive, police spokesman Daniel Fuentes said.
He said that with these two latest deaths the number of murders on the island of Vieques now stands at nine for the year, a fact that has attracted the attention of the media given that the municipality has roughly 9,500 residents isolated from the mainland.
Vieques Mayor Victor Emeric attributed the unusual crime wave to problems with drug trafficking.
The 70 police officers assigned to Vieques are not enough to deal with the problem, the mayor said.
The small island gets most of its income from tourism, but visitors should be careful about going into certain parts of Vieques, Fuentes recommended.
More than 73 percent of Vieques residents are living below the official poverty line and unemployment is high. EFE
SAN JUAN – Two men were murdered
Wednesday in the Puerto Rican island municipality of Vieques, which is enduring
a crime wave linked to drug trafficking.The Puerto Rico Police Department said that the bodies of the two men were found with multiple gunshot wounds near the former U.S. Navy base on Vieques.
An investigation into the killings is under way but no information has been uncovered yet regarding the motive, police spokesman Daniel Fuentes said.
He said that with these two latest deaths the number of murders on the island of Vieques now stands at nine for the year, a fact that has attracted the attention of the media given that the municipality has roughly 9,500 residents isolated from the mainland.
Vieques Mayor Victor Emeric attributed the unusual crime wave to problems with drug trafficking.
The 70 police officers assigned to Vieques are not enough to deal with the problem, the mayor said.
The small island gets most of its income from tourism, but visitors should be careful about going into certain parts of Vieques, Fuentes recommended.
More than 73 percent of Vieques residents are living below the official poverty line and unemployment is high. EFE
Mexico ( Prosecutors Still Looking for Clues in Mass Kidnapping in Mexico - 11 people vanish from bar )
Prosecutors Still Looking for Clues in Mass Kidnapping in
Mexico
MEXICO
CITY – Prosecutors are still trying to determine how the young people who
disappeared from a Mexico City bar last week left the establishment, Federal
District Attorney Rodolfo Rios said.
“The majority of the young people arrived at the bar in automobiles, a compact car and a taxi. That is what we know as of now,” the DA said in a press conference held after a nearly three-hour meeting with the victims’ relatives on Tuesday.
The young people were led away from the Heavens After bar in Mexico City’s Zona Rosa tourist district by gunmen on May 26, relatives and a young man who managed to escape said.
The victims, who were employed and liked to spend time at the bar, were led away from the establishment by men dressed in black who identified themselves as police officers, relatives said.
The victims’ relatives were shown footage from security cameras that confirmed the young people arrived at the bar, Rios said.
“We are still analyzing the departure to see how they were ... how they left the place,” the DA said in response to a question from reporters.
An arrest warrant was obtained and served on three people who may be linked to the disappearance of the 12 young people, Rios said.
Both relatives and officials had been saying that 11 people were missing.
The suspects – two men and a woman – were taken to the holding facility at the DA’s office.
Residents of Tepito, the Mexico City neighborhood that the missing youths came from, have staged a series of protests to demand action by officials.
The group may have been taken away by drug cartel members, who often abduct targeted individuals and do not demand ransom, dumping victims’ bodies at some location a few days later, relatives said.
One of the missing youths is Jerry Ortiz Ponce, a 16-year-old boy whose jailed father, Jorge Ortiz Reyes, is one of the leaders of the La Union gang, media reports said.
Ortiz Reyes is still running the criminal organization from prison, media reports said.
A rival gang may have staged the kidnapping to settle a score with La Union following the killing of a drug dealer in Mexico City two days before the youths disappeared, press reports said.
Mexico City Mayor Miguel Angel Mancera, however, said large drug cartels were not operating in the capital.
“We have not detected any trace of this,” the mayor said in response to questions from reporters. EFE
MEXICO
CITY – Prosecutors are still trying to determine how the young people who
disappeared from a Mexico City bar last week left the establishment, Federal
District Attorney Rodolfo Rios said.“The majority of the young people arrived at the bar in automobiles, a compact car and a taxi. That is what we know as of now,” the DA said in a press conference held after a nearly three-hour meeting with the victims’ relatives on Tuesday.
The young people were led away from the Heavens After bar in Mexico City’s Zona Rosa tourist district by gunmen on May 26, relatives and a young man who managed to escape said.
The victims, who were employed and liked to spend time at the bar, were led away from the establishment by men dressed in black who identified themselves as police officers, relatives said.
The victims’ relatives were shown footage from security cameras that confirmed the young people arrived at the bar, Rios said.
“We are still analyzing the departure to see how they were ... how they left the place,” the DA said in response to a question from reporters.
An arrest warrant was obtained and served on three people who may be linked to the disappearance of the 12 young people, Rios said.
Both relatives and officials had been saying that 11 people were missing.
The suspects – two men and a woman – were taken to the holding facility at the DA’s office.
Residents of Tepito, the Mexico City neighborhood that the missing youths came from, have staged a series of protests to demand action by officials.
The group may have been taken away by drug cartel members, who often abduct targeted individuals and do not demand ransom, dumping victims’ bodies at some location a few days later, relatives said.
One of the missing youths is Jerry Ortiz Ponce, a 16-year-old boy whose jailed father, Jorge Ortiz Reyes, is one of the leaders of the La Union gang, media reports said.
Ortiz Reyes is still running the criminal organization from prison, media reports said.
A rival gang may have staged the kidnapping to settle a score with La Union following the killing of a drug dealer in Mexico City two days before the youths disappeared, press reports said.
Mexico City Mayor Miguel Angel Mancera, however, said large drug cartels were not operating in the capital.
“We have not detected any trace of this,” the mayor said in response to questions from reporters. EFE
CARACAS ( Venezuela Expels U.S. Filmmaker Accused of Espionage - Filmmaker took flight to Miami )
Venezuela Expels U.S. Filmmaker Accused of
Espionage
CARACAS – The
Venezuelan government on Wednesday expelled a U.S. independent filmmaker who was
arrested in April and accused of training Venezuelan students in how to stage
acts of violence.
“The gringo Timothy Hallet Tracy, captured committing espionage in our country, has been expelled from the national territory,” Venezuelan Interior Minister Miguel Torres said on Twitter.
The minister offered no further details regarding the legal situation in which Tracy found himself or whether his expulsion means that no evidence of any crime was found.
Tracy’s attorney in Venezuela, Daniel Rosales, told Globovision that his client took a flight to Miami on Wednesday.
Prosecutors decided to shelve the case due to lack of evidence, Rosales said.
The expulsion came on the same day that a meeting is scheduled between U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Venezuelan Foreign Minister Elias Jaua during the General Assembly of the Organization of American States in Guatemala.
Torres announced Tracy’s capture amid the unrest that followed the April 14 special election to choose a successor to leftist President Hugo Chavez, who died March 5 after a long battle with cancer.
Henrique Capriles, who lost to Chavez last October, said he would not recognize the narrow victory of ruling-party candidate Nicolas Maduro until the CNE electoral council carried out a full audit of the results.
That audit is now in progress, but Capriles is boycotting the process.
Post-election violence led to the deaths of 11 people, most of them Maduro supporters.
Tracy’s family said he was in Venezuela to film a documentary and was arrested at the Caracas international airport when he was preparing to leave the country.
Since the special election, the Venezuelan government has claimed that agents have been infiltrated into the country from Colombia and El Salvador with the aim of carrying out destabilizing activities. EFE
CARACAS – The
Venezuelan government on Wednesday expelled a U.S. independent filmmaker who was
arrested in April and accused of training Venezuelan students in how to stage
acts of violence.“The gringo Timothy Hallet Tracy, captured committing espionage in our country, has been expelled from the national territory,” Venezuelan Interior Minister Miguel Torres said on Twitter.
The minister offered no further details regarding the legal situation in which Tracy found himself or whether his expulsion means that no evidence of any crime was found.
Tracy’s attorney in Venezuela, Daniel Rosales, told Globovision that his client took a flight to Miami on Wednesday.
Prosecutors decided to shelve the case due to lack of evidence, Rosales said.
The expulsion came on the same day that a meeting is scheduled between U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Venezuelan Foreign Minister Elias Jaua during the General Assembly of the Organization of American States in Guatemala.
Torres announced Tracy’s capture amid the unrest that followed the April 14 special election to choose a successor to leftist President Hugo Chavez, who died March 5 after a long battle with cancer.
Henrique Capriles, who lost to Chavez last October, said he would not recognize the narrow victory of ruling-party candidate Nicolas Maduro until the CNE electoral council carried out a full audit of the results.
That audit is now in progress, but Capriles is boycotting the process.
Post-election violence led to the deaths of 11 people, most of them Maduro supporters.
Tracy’s family said he was in Venezuela to film a documentary and was arrested at the Caracas international airport when he was preparing to leave the country.
Since the special election, the Venezuelan government has claimed that agents have been infiltrated into the country from Colombia and El Salvador with the aim of carrying out destabilizing activities. EFE
Florida ( Key West man convicted of attempted murder of a 3-year-old girl -Gets 40 yrs )
Key West man gets 40 years for attacking 3-year-old girl with saw
Christopher Farrell had an arrest history long before the attack on the child.
BY SEAN KINNEY
KeysNet.com
A Key West man convicted of attempted murder of a 3-year-old girl in a 2008 attack has been sentenced to 40 years in prison.
Christopher Farrell, 50, was arrested Oct. 1, 2010, on charges of attempted murder, aggravated assault and aggravated battery.
He attacked Sonia Romero and her then 3-year-old daughter with a 10.5-inch tree saw near William and Southard streets.
Old Town resident David Lybrand was passing by, saw the attack and fought Farrell off. Police quickly arrested Farrell and Lybrand went on to receive the Key West Police Department's Good Samaritan Award. A six-person jury on Thursday spent less than half an hour deliberating before finding Farrell guilty of all charges.
County Judge Wayne Miller subsequently handed down a sentence of 40 years, 30 for the attempted murder and 10 for the other two felonies.
Assistant State Attorney Colleen Dunne prosecuted while Farrell opted to represent himself. Lybrand testified during the two-day trial.
According to police, Farrell attacked the mother and daughter — who was wearing her St. Mary Star of the Sea Catholic School uniform at the time — "without warning or provocation."
He grabbed the child and pushed her to the ground, then held the tree saw to her face and threatened to cut her head off. She sustained cuts on her cheek, neck and ear from the teeth of the blade, according to reports.
Records maintained by the Monroe County Sheriff's Office indicate Farrell was arrested previously in 2001, 2002, 2004 and 2005 on a variety of charges, including aggravated stalking, probation violation, making false calls to 911 and resisting arrest.
Christopher Farrell, 50, was arrested Oct. 1, 2010, on charges of attempted murder, aggravated assault and aggravated battery.
He attacked Sonia Romero and her then 3-year-old daughter with a 10.5-inch tree saw near William and Southard streets.
Old Town resident David Lybrand was passing by, saw the attack and fought Farrell off. Police quickly arrested Farrell and Lybrand went on to receive the Key West Police Department's Good Samaritan Award. A six-person jury on Thursday spent less than half an hour deliberating before finding Farrell guilty of all charges.
County Judge Wayne Miller subsequently handed down a sentence of 40 years, 30 for the attempted murder and 10 for the other two felonies.
Assistant State Attorney Colleen Dunne prosecuted while Farrell opted to represent himself. Lybrand testified during the two-day trial.
According to police, Farrell attacked the mother and daughter — who was wearing her St. Mary Star of the Sea Catholic School uniform at the time — "without warning or provocation."
He grabbed the child and pushed her to the ground, then held the tree saw to her face and threatened to cut her head off. She sustained cuts on her cheek, neck and ear from the teeth of the blade, according to reports.
Records maintained by the Monroe County Sheriff's Office indicate Farrell was arrested previously in 2001, 2002, 2004 and 2005 on a variety of charges, including aggravated stalking, probation violation, making false calls to 911 and resisting arrest.
El Paso ( U.S Marshal's arrest Juarez murder suspect - 20 years later ) Cold case
US Marshal's arrest man in El Paso who had been accused in Juárez murder
Posted: 06/05/2013 12:11:35 AM MDT
Federal agents escort Ramon
Alire Hurtado to the El Paso County Jail on Tuesday. (Ruben R. Ramirez / El Paso
Times)
U.S. Marshals Service deputies arrested Ramon Alire Hurtado, 43, in the Lower Valley on a warrant that remains sealed, an official said. He was taken to the El Paso County Jail.
According to news reports in 2009 from Mexico, Hurtado had been accused in the beating death of Yolanda Alvarez Equihua whose body was found along a path in the colonia Satelite area of Juárez in 1993. Alvarez was pregnant at the time.
In September 2008, Hurtado was arrested in El Paso, reports stated. He was then taken to San Antonio before being extradited to Mexico City on March 25, 2009.
The
 |
Reporter
Daniel Borunda 
|
Daniel Borunda may be reached at dborunda@elpasotimes.com; 546-6102. Follow him on Twitter @BorundaDaniel
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