Thread: Nebraska Teacher arrested in Mex with 13 yoa alien student

Police: Arrested teacher, undocumented student had vague plan of life together in Mexico
By MARK STEVENSON
Associated Press Writer
The Associated Press
updated 3:19 p.m. MT, Sat., Nov. 3, 2007
MEXICO CITY - A female teacher and a 13-year-old student planned some sort of life together in Mexico after fleeing Nebraska together, but they were tripped up by a lack of cash, the Baja California policeman who detained the pair said Saturday.

Kelsey Peterson, a 25-year-old sixth-grade math teacher and basketball coach at Lexington Middle School, was detained Friday in the border city of Mexicali.

She was turned over to the FBI early Saturday and remains in custody. The boy, Fernando Rodriguez, is staying with relatives in Mexicali.

As an undocumented migrant, Rodriguez apparently will not be allowed to return to the United States. But police here have told him to stay in touch in case he is needed to testify in any possible criminal case.

Baja California state police coordinator Alfredo Arenas, who detained Peterson in the parking lot of a Mexicali shopping mall, said the boy told him the pair had a vague plan to live a life in hiding in central or southern Mexico.

"They didn't have a very well-defined plan, it was basically to continue driving deeper into Mexico to hide," Arenas told The Associated Press. "This was a mutual agreement to flee, after the story came out that they were having sex."

But after driving all the way to the border from Nebraska, the pair was low on money. Arenas said Peterson had only about US$400 (euro275) with her when she was detained.

Arenas said the boy told him he had called a relative in the United States to ask for money to continue their journey. The relative told the FBI about the call, and the FBI in turn alerted Arena's special police unit about the intended meeting with the relative at the shopping mall.

Arenas said that when he tapped on the window of her car and asked her to get out, Peterson denied being the person police were seeking. But when shown a wanted poster, she quickly submitted without resistance. The boy was waiting about 10 yards (meters) from the car.

Rodriguez may eventually return to his family's hometown in the central state of Guanajuato, but that does not appear to be where the pair were fleeing, Arenas said. Instead, they may have sought anonymity in some other part of Mexico.

The two apparently stayed Thursday night at a local hotel, but checked out in the early hours of Friday. Police were already alerted to their movements after Peterson's car was spotted crossing into Mexico on Tuesday, and arrived just after they left the hotel.

A U.S. judge issued an arrest warrant Monday charging Peterson with kidnapping, child abuse and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. It was not immediately clear where Peterson was being held.

She also faces federal charges, filed Thursday, that include transporting a minor across state lines or a foreign border for sexual activity.

Court documents showed authorities had recovered several e-mails and letters in which Peterson and the boy professed their affection for one another.

In letters, the boy called Peterson his "Baby Gurl" and said their relationship was "just not about the sex but that it was pretty good," according to the court documents.

The Associated Press generally does not identify people who may be victims of sex crimes, but the boy's name had been widely publicized as police searched for him.

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21612980/

Rodriguez may eventually return to his family's hometown in the central state of Guanajuato

I'm sure his parents, who I suspect are in the U.S., are illegal too. How about sending them back to Guanajuato to be with their son?

Well, it seems to me this teacher was just trying to legalize their relationship, since the age of consent in Mexico is 12 years old.

Originally Posted by MW

Rodriguez may eventually return to his family's hometown in the central state of Guanajuato

I'm sure his parents, who I suspect are in the U.S., are illegal too. How about sending them back to Guanajuato to be with their son?

The madness continues . . . I hate it when families are separated, they really should be rounded up and deported.

Here's the article from our local paper this morning:

The search for a missing Lexington Middle School teacher and a 13-year-old student has gone south of the border. According to Lexington Police Chief Charlie Clark, a white four-door 2006 Pontiac belonging to Kelsey Peterson is believed to have crossed the U.S. border into Mexico at San Diego on Tuesday at 11 p.m.

Advertisement


According to the FBI an automated system photographs vehicle license plates when they cross into Mexico.

Dawson County Attorney Liz Waterman noted Friday that the FBI has joined the search for the teacher and her former student. "Lexington authorities are still the primary investigators in this case, but the FBI is offering us any assistance we need at this point," she said.

Peterson and Fernando Rodriguez, an eighth grader at Lexington Middle School, have been missing since a week ago Thursday when Peterson was placed on administrative leave for suspicion of having an intimate relationship with Rodriguez.

The police were notified and an arrest warrant was issued charging Peterson with kidnapping, a Class IA felony, felony child abuse, a Class IIIA felony, and contributing to the delinquency of a minor, a Class I misdemeanor.

The warrant notes that Lexington Superintendent Todd Chessmore had seized Peterson's laptop computer and while reviewing the laptop discovered e-mails and letters saved in the computer's memory. One letter from April of 2007 stated she loved Fernando and that she thought he also loved her.

Peterson's father also turned over several letters to police that were found in her Lexington home. The letters were sent to Peterson from Rodriguez during the time he was at the Nebraska Boy's Ranch in Alliance, noting he "still loves his 'Baby Gurl'" and the he longed to have her hold him.

According to the arrest warrant the last known direct contact with either Peterson or Rodriguez was on Saturday when Maria Rodriguez received a call from her son advising her that he was with Kelsey in Grand Island.

He also sent a text message to his older brother, Alfonso advising him that he was OK and that he was with Kelsey.

An aunt, Laura Rodriguez, told the police she had also had a telephone conversation with Fernando where he had asked if a visa or passport was required to enter Mexico.

Unconfirmed reports had said the pair was spotted at a Denver convenience store Friday night.

Meanwhile the community of Lexington is reeling in the wake of the incident. Residents have expressed "shock" and "disgust" at the alleged relationship and pair's disappearance.

Peterson was a sixth grade teacher at the middle school and last year coached middle school track and was the assistant girls varsity basketball coach at the high school.

Upon learning the news about Peterson, one former student noted, "I feel like I've been punched in the stomach."

Lexington Middle School Principle Dean Tickle notes teachers have been asked to observe their classes for students who appear to be struggling and counselors are available to speak with any student.

A message was sent to teachers to read in their fourth period classes on Wednesday and encouraged any students who felt a need to speak with someone privately to "please stop by the counselor's office or talk with your parents."

Waterman encouraged anyone with information about the pair to call the Lexington Police Department at 1-308-324-2317 or the FBI regional office at 1-402-493-8688.

Because Peterson is now believed to have crossed an international border, Waterman added that additional charges could be filed.

http://www.lexch.com/site/news.cfm?news ... 8509&rfi=6

Originally Posted by WhatMattersMost

Originally Posted by MW

Rodriguez may eventually return to his family's hometown in the central state of Guanajuato

I'm sure his parents, who I suspect are in the U.S., are illegal too. How about sending them back to Guanajuato to be with their son?

The madness continues . . . I hate it when families are separated, they really should be rounded up and deported.

Leave the teacher in Mexico....fair is fair they export their perverts

It doesn't appear that the Nebraska newspaper even bothered to have local reporters do a story and also just relied on the wire service. Most of the wire service stories didn't even say the kid was an illegal alien.

From a Nebraska TV report on the teacher: "Lexington is a meatpacking town of about 11,500. There is a majority Hispanic population."

LEXINGTON, Neb. -- A 13-year-old boy is stuck in Mexico after allegedly being taken there by a teacher at his school.

Fernando Rodriguez and 25-year-old Kelsey Peterson were taken into custody in the border city of Mexicali on Friday. Peterson, a sixth-grade math teacher at a Nebraska middle school, fled with the boy after police began investigating whether the pair had an intimate relationship.

Mexican police turned Peterson over to the FBI. But they said Rodriguez was handed over to relatives in Mexicali, because he was an illegal immigrant in the U.S. and could not go back.

Nebraska prosecutors said they are aware of questions about the boy's immigration status.

Peterson is charged with kidnapping, child abuse and contributing to the delinquency of a minor in Nebraska. She also faces federal charges of transporting a minor across state lines or a foreign border for sexual activity.
http://www.ketv.com/news/14507408/detail.html

From a Nebraska TV report on the teacher: "Lexington is a meatpacking town of about 11,500. There is a majority Hispanic population."

The middle school where the boy went to is 70% hispanic. The grade schools are 80% hispanic. Yes we do have a majority hispanic population.