http://www.wdtimes.com/articles/2006/03 ... /news2.txt

FBI arrests man wanted for murder in Mexico

By Adam Tobias of the Daily Times staff
An illegal immigrant residing in Watertown who was arrested last week in the murder of a Mexican police officer was turned over to Mexican authorities Tuesday, according to a federal immigration spokeswoman.

United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokeswoman Gail Montenegro said Hector Cepeda-Vargas, 38, was placed on a government flight from Chicago, Ill., to El Paso, Texas, on Friday and was walked across the border and turned over to Mexican authorities Tuesday.

Montenegro said Cepeda-Vargas had fled Mexico and was living at 133 Dewey Ave. in Watertown under the alias Daniel de Dioz-Lopez. She added it was unknown how long he had resided there or if he lived with any other people.

Cepeda-Vargas has admitted he entered the United States illegally and purchased a fake birth certificate and Social Security card in Colorado.

Cepeda-Vargas is wanted by Mexican authorities for the murder of Magdaleno Avitia-Barraza, a police officer in the town of Santa Maria del Oro in the state of Durango, Mexico. Durango authorities issued an arrest warrant for Cepeda-Vargas in October 2002.

Mexican authorities first contacted the Chicago Federal Bureau of Investigation office with information that Cepeda-Vargas was possibly residing in the Chicago area, Montenegro said. She added while working on a tip, the FBI office in Madison tracked Cepeda-Vargas to the Watertown area.

With the assistance of the Watertown Police Department, ICE and FBI agents arrested Cepeda-Vargas in Watertown on March 13 without incident, Montenegro said.

At the time of the arrest, Cepeda-Vargas was working at Quality Feed Inc. in Dousman.

Tammy DeGrand, vice president of Quality Feed, said from what she knew of Cepeda-Vargas he was a great person and employee. “He was a great guy and a good employee who was always here on time and never missed work,” she added. “It was a complete shock.”

DeGrand said the company thought Cepeda-Vargas, an employee with Quality Feed for about two years, had quit when he did not show up for work on March 14.

“He was actually off on that Monday and didn't show up to work so we figured he quit,” she added. “Some past employees didn't give notice, so we just assumed that was the case until we heard it on the news.”

Cepeda-Vargas did not have a known criminal history in the United States, which made it harder for authorities to find him, Montenegro said. She added cases where criminals evade justice in their home countries happens more than people would think.

“They have become a very high priority for us because we want to get rid of these violent criminals,” she said. “It is a win-win situation because we are getting rid of them and then the country that is seeking them can prosecute them for the crimes.”