Judge denies Border Patrol agents' motion (6:01 p.m.)
By Louie Gilot / El Paso Times
Article Launched: 01/16/2007 05:54:33 PM MST

A federal judge crushed the last hope two former Border patrol agents had to avoid prison Wednesday when she ruled this evening to deny their motion to remain free on bond until their appeals.

U.S. District Judge Kathleen Cardone found that there were no exceptional circumstances in the case that would warrant bond pending appeal for Ignacio Ramos and Jose Alonso Compean, court documents showed. She also denied a motion by Ramos to extend the date of his voluntary surrender by one month.

Ramos and Compean are to surrender to the U.S. Marshals at 2 p.m Wednesday.

The former agents will not serve their time in the El Paso area for their own security, a standard practice for law enforcement officers. Ramos' attorney, Mary Stillinger, did not want to say what federal prison the agents were assigned to. She said they may have to spend several weeks at the El Paso County Jail before being transported to a federal prison.

Both men are married and have young children.
Judges usually deny bond requests on long sentences because
of the flight risk, legal experts said.

"Normally that means mean flight to Mexico. And it happens for drug dealers who have protection in Mexico. Mr. Ramos does not have protection in Mexico. As a matter of fact Mr. Aldrete Davila's friends might be looking for him," she said.

Aldrete Davila is Osvaldo Aldrete Davila, the drug smuggler that Ramos and Compean shot in the buttocks in 2005 near Fabens, when he was fleeing back to Mexico after a chase. Ramos and Compean were convicted by a jury of violating Aldrete Davila's civil rights and of tampering with evidence for not reporting the shooting and picking up shell casings. Ramos was sentenced to 11 years in prison and Compean to 12 years in prison, partly due to a 10-year mandatory sentence for using a weapon in the commission of their crime.

The Ramos and Compean families could not be reached today.

The case attracted national attention and the support of conservative groups and elected officials that have asked President Bush for a pardon.

White House Press Secretary Tony Snow declined to comment on a possible pardon at a press conference last month.