EL PASO, TX - Border Patrol Agents assigned to the El Paso Sector arrested a wanted burglary subject, two known sex offenders and recovered a stolen vehicle over the past several days.
On April 3, Agents working at the U.S. Border Patrol Checkpoint on U.S. Highway 54, south of Alamogordo, New Mexico, were routinely inspecting vehicles when an older model Pontiac rolled in. Upon completion of a preliminary inspection, agents referred the driver to the secondary lane to further inspect the occupants. The driver decided not to comply and sped away. With the assistance of Otero County Sheriff’s Deputies and the deployment of a controlled tire deflation device, the driver of the vehicle was halted, so the driver fled on foot. After a brief foot chase, the driver was located and arrested by Sheriff’s Deputies. The two remaining occupants were taken into custody by Border Patrol agents. The driver was later identified as Armando Borja Valdez, a United States Citizen.
Agents submitted the subject’s biographical and biometrical information into data bases and discovered that Borja Valdez had a nationwide, extraditable warrant for burglary and theft from Adams County, Colorado.
Borja Valdez may be also charged by the Sheriff’s Office for “Fleeing Law Enforcement, Assault with a Deadly Weapon and Evading Arrest”. Along with the state charges, Borja Valdez will also face federal charges for “Alien Smuggling and High Speed Flight from an Immigration Checkpoint”. Borja Valdez is currently being held pending prosecution and extradition to Colorado.
Border Patrol Agents were also involved in two other high-profile incidents. Agents in Santa Teresa and Deming, New Mexico arrested two subjects with prior sexual crime convictions.
Santa Teresa Agents tracked and apprehended subjects last weekend and found out that 59-year-old Hector Manuel Saravia Guerrero, a citizen of El Salvador, had a previous arrest and conviction for “Sexual-Assault-of-a-Child”.
Meanwhile near Deming, Agents caught a group of subjects west of the Columbus Port of Entry, including 29-year-old Jesus Gonzalez Lopez, a citizen of Mexico. Records revealed he had a previous arrest and conviction for “Sex-with-a-Minor”. Both subjects are detained and pending prosecution and removal proceedings.
One final incident occurred when Agents at the U.S. Border Patrol Checkpoint in Desert Haven, Texas, recovered a stolen U-Haul van. Record checks revealed the van was reported in El Paso. The female driver and a male passenger were detained. The El Paso Police Department Auto-Theft Unit, along with the Hudspeth county Sheriff’s Office, were contacted. The driver and passenger were identified as 50-year-old Deanna Chandler, of Corpus Christi, Texas, and 29-year-old Timofey Karpets, of Colorado Springs, Colorado. The stolen van and the citizens were turned over to the Hudspeth County Sheriff’s Office pending possible prosecution.
These incidents demonstrate the value of Border Patrol checkpoints. With assistance from various law enforcement agencies and vigilance by U.S. Border Patrol Agents, our borders are kept safer as authorities continue to combat the furtherance of crime elements into our communities.