Thread: Immigrants arrested in home invasion case

http://www.lcsun-news.com/las_cruces-news/ci_14244406

LORDSBURG - Two undocumented immigrants were arrested here Wednesday for allegedly assaulting an elderly couple at knifepoint in their home near Rodeo, N.M., tying them up and stealing their car.

Eriberto Marquez, 22, and Martin Uriel Chavaria-Morquecho, 20, both of Mexico, each face counts of aggravated assault, vehicle theft and burglary in Arizona, said a Cochise County spokeswoman. They may be charged with kidnapping.

The men, armed with a large knife, reportedly forced their way into the home of Howard and Rosemary Hunt, retirees who live along U.S. Hwy. 80, just west of the New Mexico-Arizona state line.

The couple wasn't injured seriously.

Around 5 p.m., Howard Hunt said, the men knocked at his front door and asked for a ride to a nearby town. When the Hunts declined, one of the men reportedly brandished an 18-inch machete and forced them into their back bedroom.

Howard Hunt said his thumb suffered a small cut as he grabbed at the machete.

Then, Hunt said, the men tied up him and his wife and proceeded to search the house in an orderly way. Hunt said he assumed they were looking for money and other valuables.

"I told my wife: 'You know they're going to kill us. They're going to have to because otherwise we'll be able to identify them,'" he said. "But they didn't."

Hunt said one of the men seemed "polite," and returned to the room to tell the couple: "We're going to be leaving now."

After about 10 minutes, Rosemary Hunt was able to untie herself and


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her husband. The couple discovered that their car, a 2004 Chevrolet Avalanche, was missing and called 911.
Jewelry and cash - Hunt estimates about $150 - also had been taken.

Around 6:15 p.m., New Mexico authorities received an alert to be on the lookout for the vehicle, said Capt. Tim La Bier of the New Mexico Motor Transportation Division. An hour later, an officer with the division spotted a car in Lordsburg matching the description. It was entering Interstate 10, headed east.

La Bier said the officer pulled the vehicle over, but after it stopped, a passenger and driver "bailed out" and ran into Lordsburg. He said authorities soon apprehended them.

Marquez and Chavaria-Morquecho were charged in New Mexico for having a stolen vehicle and resisting and evading arrest.

They were being held Thursday at the Hidalgo County Detention Center.

Carol Capas, spokeswoman for the Cochise County Sheriff's Department, said once the New Mexico charges are addressed, the men will be extradited to Arizona to face charges there.

Rafael Gomez, spokesman for the U.S. Border Patrol's El Paso sector, which covers Hidalgo County, said the agency has placed an immigration "hold" on Marquez and Chavaria-Morquecho.

If their court cases result in sentences, they'll serve those. But regardless of a conviction, they'll be deported to Mexico upon their release from jail.

The Rodeo area has seen an uptick in illegal immigrant and drug trafficking in the past year. Some residents said Thursday that crimes have included stolen vehicles, property vandalization and burglaries of unoccupied homes.

"There have been quite a few break-ins, but this is the first one I've heard of that there's been people home," said Howard Hunt, a 14-year resident of the area.

Capas said historically the region has been a popular route for trafficking because of its rural nature.

Howard Hunt said Wednesday's incident prompted him to become more cautious.

"We see (immigrants) quite often, but they've never bothered me before," he said. "The Lord was watching over us, I guess."


Diana M. Alba can be reached at dalba@lcsun-news.com; (575) 541-5443

Aw, they are just here to work and better themselves.
What is frightening is these types of folks will be back here in 15 minutes after deportation and, given amnesty, will be able to vote for the candidate of their choice as they ply their trade.