Hidalgo, Texas — U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), officers working at the Hidalgo and Pharr International Bridges arrested seven fugitives, including one facing multiple child molestation charges, wanted on arrest warrants and three persons for committing immigration violations this weekend.
“This was a busy weekend for our frontline officers by having detected numerous fugitives of the law, principally the man facing out-of-state sex related charges involving a child,” said Efrain Solis Jr., Port Director, Hidalgo/Pharr/Anzalduas. “Besides enforcing our own laws, CBP enforces myriad of laws for other federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, which includes arresting those with outstanding arrest warrants.”
On February 23, CBP officers working outbound operations at the Hidalgo-Reynosa International Bridge encountered 46-year-old Francisco Javier Sanchez, an El Salvadoran lawful permanent resident from Duluth, Georgia as he attempted to leave the United States. Further inspection and queries through CBP and law enforcement databases revealed a possible match to an arrest warrant from Georgia for bail jumping. Utilizing biometric verification, Sanchez’s identity was confirmed along with the warrant, which had stemmed from original charges of aggravated child molestation/sexual battery of a child and sexual assault charges from the Dunwoody Police Department, filed in 2012.
Apparently Mr. Sanchez was accused by his ex-girlfriend for having allegedly molested and inappropriately touched her two daughters, ages 13 and 18.
Other persons arrested on warrants were: Ernesto Charles San Miguel, age 31, from San Antonio, wanted from Minnehaha County, South Dakota for parole violation on controlled substance charges; Dulce Ibarra, age 31, from McAllen and Christina Davila, age 23, from Donna, Texas; both wanted by the U.S. Marshal Service for probation violations. David Abraham Montalvo, age 22, from Amarillo, Texas had a warrant from that city’s police department for property theft, and Javier Vela Lozano, age 51, wanted by the Mission Police Department for harassment/ terroristic threats. Also arrested were three other persons for alleged immigration violations, including a 27-year-old male Mexican citizen from Penjamo, Guanajuato, Mexico who presented a counterfeit U.S. visa in an attempt to gain entry into the United States.
All of the persons with outstanding arrest warrants were either booked by the respective Rio Grande Valley Police Departments or at the Hidalgo County Jail, awaiting extradition procedures.