Thread: AZ-Burglary suspect mistakenly deported to Mexico

Burglary suspect mistakenly deported to Mexico
by Parker Leavitt - Sept. 26, 2008 11:03 AM
The Arizona Republic
A 28-year-old burglary suspect arrested last week missed his preliminary court hearing Monday morning.

That's because he had been mistakenly deported to Mexico.

Luis Garcia-Villegas accepted a voluntary return to Mexico on Sept. 17, according to Vincent Picard, a spokesman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Normally such suspects "are not given that option if they are facing criminal charges," Picard said.

But officials at the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, acting on behalf of ICE, were not aware of the charges Garcia-Villegas faced, Picard said. A Sheriff's Office spokesman said no Sheriff's office procedures were violated.

Authorities from the County Attorney's office were investigating why Garcia-Villegas was mistakenly deported.

Police originally arrested Garcia-Villegas along with another man and a 17-year-old boy on Sept. 15. The three were arrested on suspicion of burglarizing the La Bodega furniture store in south Phoenix.

A neighboring business owner called the police after he spotted intruders around 2 a.m. loading furniture from the store into a stolen vehicle.

Police then arrested the three suspects after stopping the vehicle loaded with furniture.

The two men, Garcia-Villegas and 29-year-old Leonel Martinez, were believed to be in the country illegally, Maricopa County Attorney spokesman Mike Scerbo said.

La Bodega storeowner and victim Antonio Casillas was shocked to hear one of the suspects had been deported.

Antonio's wife Bertha said she called the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office for information concerning the case and was told only that Garcia-Villegas had been released.

Knowing that a suspect in the burglary of her husband's store was now inexplicably out of jail, Bertha worried about Antonio's safety.

"It is really scary," Bertha Casillas said, "they might be vindictive and go after my husband."

The Casillases were obviously frustrated with the situation.

"You call the police," Antonio said, "and they come to help. They risk their lives. Then they catch the suspects, and now they send them back to Mexico?"

"It's a waste of everyone's time," Bertha said.

Scerbo said authorities were working to bring Garcia-Villegas back into custody.


http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/ ... 26-ON.html

He will sneak back and they will catch him again.