Illegal Aliens Detained At Bellaire Roofing Job
Apr 10, 2007

BELLAIRE — Four Mexican nationals were detained in Bellaire on Monday, suspected of being in the United States illegally.

Felipe Mayao Espino, 31, was detained along with Justo Cruz Santiago, 30; Ignacio Barqueras Rodriquez, 36; and Obispo Gonzalez, 20. Police placed the four in the Belmont County Jail at St. Clairsville after representatives of U.S. Immigration and Custons Enforcement placed a detainer on the subjects and indicated they would take custody of the four men today.

A total of six people were observed by Bellaire Building Code Inspector Mike Clark and his assistant, Russell Burkhart, at 3228 Monroe St. in the process of doing a roofing job. When Clark and Burkhart asked them where the building permit for the project was and where the contractor’s license was for doing business in Bellaire, they found the men could speak very little English.

The Bellaire Police Department was contacted, and Officer Rusty Cunningham went to the scene and found that four of the six subjects could not produce identification. The two people who were able to produce appropriate documentation were released. All six subjects were said to be living in the Columbus area.

Cunningham requested an additional vehicle for transporting the undocumented workers to police department headquarters, and Chief Mike Kovalyk reported to the scene and transported two of them. He then immediately requested that Village Administrator Rebecca Zwack assist, as she had previously taught Spanish for 10 years at the college level and could assist Bellaire police in identifying the men.

ICE agents were contacted, and they interviewed the subjects on speaker phone with Zwack assisting and gathering information on the men. ICE then did place the detainer on the men.

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