Saturday, January 19, 2008 3:06 PM US/Western

Illegal alien arrested for cocaine
By CHANCE EDMAN
staff writer

Some quick-thinking girls avoided being lured into a stranger's car and helped lead to the arrest of a suspect on drug charges.

Ellensburg, Washington police officers arrested an illegal immigrant Thursday for cocaine possession after parents of two 10-year-old girls told officers the man and an acquaintance tried to lure the girls into a car in Ellensburg.

Heriberto Villa, 21, of Mexico was issued a $10,000 bail by Kittitas County Superior Court Judge Michael Cooper Friday and told to stay in the state. Villa admitted to Cooper through a translator that he is in the U.S. illegally.

A Social Security card Villa used for identification to authorities proved fraudulent and another form of ID did not belong to him, county Prosecuting Attorney Greg Zempel said in a report given to Cooper in court.

Officers reportedly found a small bag of cocaine on Villa while searching for ID, Zempel said. Villa is also being charged for driving under the influence.

Immigration officers have placed a hold on him, according to Cooper, and the Mexican consulate has been notified of his arrest.

Villa is not facing charges for allegedly trying to lure the girls into a car in the Hillcrest Mobile Home Park area on Cascade Court Thursday evening.

Police are searching for the second man whom they believe may have spoken to the girls since Villa cannot speak English, Ellensburg Police Sgt. Mike Coppin said.

The girls never entered the car and were not physically contacted by the two men, according to Jackie Sharp, the mother of one of the girls.

"By the grace of God we got lucky and our girls are still with us," Sharp said.

Accounts of the alleged incident given by the two girls to Sharp indicate they were sledding at about 7 p.m. in the Cascade Crest area when a car pulled out of a driveway. One man inside allegedly told them it was too late to be sledding and that they should get in the car, Sharp said.

The girls immediately ran up an icy road nearby and the two men allegedly gave chase in their vehicle, but couldn't make it to the top, Sharp said.

The girls found a parent who contacted EPD and gave detailed descriptions of the men based on the girls' testimony.

"The girls who were involved in this incident did exactly the right thing, which is run away from the vehicle and notify adults," Coppin said. "From a police standpoint, they did a really good job."

The incident remains under investigation as officers attempt to locate the second man. It's unknown if he's also an illegal immigrant.
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