January 27, 2008 - 7:29PM
Police nab illegal immigrants in home invasions
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Gary Grado, Tribune


Previously Deported Illegal Alien Criminal
Manuel Enrique Morales

A felony conviction and subsequent deportation didn’t stop Manuel Enrique Morales from crossing the border to return to Mesa, where police allege he and others terrorized victims with an assault rifle in a series of home invasions.

This time, though, the 19-year-old illegal immigrant is going to stay awhile because police jailed him and five alleged accomplices in the spree of armed robberies that span from Nov. 16-29.

Home invasions were becoming so rampant in Mesa in recent months that police formed a special task force to address the problem, which they believed was the work of as many as four crews.

“This is the major one,â€