Soldier from Texas imprisoned in Mexico for weapons charges

F

FireMax

New member
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,352986,00.html

This is really a sad story... this soldier was on the way to visit his mother in a different state and during his drive past El Paso, decided to have a meal in Mexico. He says he intended to park in the US and walk across the border to El Paso for the meal, but got lost somehow and was pulled over by the Mexican cops.

I don't know if his story sounds legitimate or not, but I think it is sad that this soldier is being held by a corrupt country like Mexico. We have 12 million of their illegals in our country. Maybe we can do a swap for just this one US soldier?

An American veteran of the Iraq War is being held in a notoriously dangerous prison in Juarez, Mexico, charged with carrying weapons over the border in his car.

Army Spc. Richard Raymond Medina Torres, on leave from his base at Fort Hood, Tex., was arrested in Juarez April 21 when he said he mistakenly crossed the border and found himself on the Mexican side of the Bridge of the Americas.

Medina Torres, 25, told Mexican officials that he intended to park his car in El Paso and walk across the border for breakfast, but got lost on the highway and was forced to cross into Mexico.

According to the El Paso Times, Mexican border police stopped him as he attempted a U-turn, and Medina Torres was arrested when they found an AR-15 rifle and handgun in his trunk. The newspaper said that Medina Torres said he'd bought the guns years before and had all the proper permits. However possession of firearms in Mexico is illegal and strictly controlled.

"It’s a very sticky situation for foreigners to have weapons in Mexico," said a spokesman at the bureau of consular affairs at the State Department. "The laws are stricter and narrower there," he said.
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I Smell Fecies

So just tell me how you drive through El Paso and end up in Mexico without going through a border crossing. Either you go through a border crossing or you make an illegal crossing. There is no accidental way to get there.
 
This story sounds fishy to me.
Why would you park your car in America, and walk into Mexico for breakfast?
Doesn't the guy know that breakfast is available in America?
Doesn't he know that border towns are very dangerous? Good chance your car would be broken into, and the guns stolen.

How do you enter Mexico without going through a border crossing?
 
It sounds fishy to me also. Especially the ending up on the wrong side of the bridge by accident part. Even if it was an accident though I say you make your mistakes and you pay the price. We scream about wanting them to follow our laws when they are here so the blade cuts both ways.

I also get a bit tired of people using the "he is a veteran" line to try and excuse their behavior or garner sympathy. As if being a veteran means you could not possibly be a bad person doing a bad thing.
 
Remeber the older man around 5 to 10 years ago . He was looking at 20 to 30years for a box of bullets in his car. The soldier is REALLY screwed.

But relations with Mexico are better now with the NAU.:eek: Maybe he will get off. But If we stop the NAU he might get the death penalty:eek:
 
Hey, if you can afford an AR-15, you might be able to afford one of these (cost: somewhere... south of $200):

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Or, at the very least, a printed map.

Question: how does being a veteran have any bearing on this case?
 

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EL PASO CITEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE...

On the Rio Graaaaaa---aaaaaande

The cowboy lived and rode away
But love was strong he couldn't stay
He rode back just to die in that El Paso sand.....

WildcallmemartyAlaska ™
 
And, BTW, the article says he was on his way from Ft Hood Texas to visit his mother in Fresno California. Now the Mexico border is like 300 miles SOUTH of Ft Hood Texas and Fresno is NORTHERN California. Now come on, he went 600 miles round trip for a pit stop for breakfast in Mexico?!? :eek:
 
:rolleyes: It isn't like the border checkpoints are on the actual border line.
Depending on what road you cross the border on the checkpoints can be a few miles into either country. On one return trip from Mexico I didn't even encounter a US checkpoint. You guys all act like the border is a magical wall or something :rolleyes:

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Probably ended up on the bridge by mistake and got pulled over on the Mexican side when he realized his mistake and tried to do a U-Turn
 
Probably ended up on the bridge by mistake and got pulled over on the Mexican side when he realized his mistake and tried to do a U-Turn
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Very, very unlikely. I take it you have never been there from your statement. There are lots of turn arounds to avoid such a thing and plenty of notification beforehand.
 
Sounds like this guys got major problems. Unlike the U.S. Mexico enforces it's laws and does not care about public opion. We on the other hand muct ask permission from Mexico if we can enforce out laws. America sold out by coporate greed, spineless polititions and theirs the political correct libers who are willng to roll over and give the coutry away.

"Are their no men left in Washington or are they all cowards"
 
don't know if his story sounds legitimate or not
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No. I lived in El Paso. Went to work in Juarez every day. There is no way in hell you can drive into Mexico and not know. Big signs, and even a last minute warning to turn around (with u-turn cutout). Something does not add up. Every day before I left El Paso I would go through a mental check. Did I forget and leave my gun in the car, etc.

It isn't like the border checkpoints are on the actual border line.
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They absolutely are. Yes you can have check point well within the interior of US or Mexico, but this is about El Paso. The border station is on the border, hell El Paso is on the border. You are yards from the border in downtown El Paso. You have to walk across the bridge with huge signs to get to Mexico. This includes the other crossings nearby and also the one in NM just miles away.

Now being an ex-soldier myself. If he was dead drunk, then OK...could be.

BTW, if you are going to violate the Mexican law, bring lots of cash and keep the whole thing low keyed so no one pays any attention. Just pay the right fine to the right person and you can do about anything you want. But if you fail....do you know what a Mexican jail looks like.:eek:
 
Fresno is NORTHERN California
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I object! I am in northern California and Fresno is hours south of me. Actually if you divide the state in half, Fresno would be in the southern half.
If divided in thirds, Sacramento would barely be in the northern third, FRISCO would be in the central third.
Sorry, I'm just touchy about references to "northern" California stopping way down south.:)
 
Very, very unlikely. I take it you have never been there from your statement. There are lots of turn arounds to avoid such a thing and plenty of notification beforehand.
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No, I haven't been near the Bridge of the Americas so I don't know first hand.

Maybe he was trying to smuggle the weapons into Mexico and turned around when he saw the Mexican police, or realized he was going to be searched. Maybe he's just a complete moron. I've heard more rediculous stories that turned out to be true...
 
Mexico's a bad, bad place to get caught with a gun. The dude's gonna do some time in a Mexican PMITA prison, which is a lot worse than its US counterpart.

Something's wrong with his story. I concur, you don't just accidentally drive into MX without knowing it.
 
and i would like to add that there are roads that dont have check points that go to mexico i have no idea about that one but there are ones that dont have check points there and up in to canida,
 
And, BTW, the article says he was on his way from Ft Hood Texas to visit his mother in Fresno California. Now the Mexico border is like 300 miles SOUTH of Ft Hood Texas and Fresno is NORTHERN California. Now come on, he went 600 miles round trip for a pit stop for breakfast in Mexico?!?
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I-10 goes through El Paso, on to Tucson, Phoenix and over to LA.

Not much available for east-west traffic until you go up to Colorado or Wyoming.

What I question:

Medina Torres, a helicopter mechanic, said he was on his way to Fresno, Calif., to visit his mother in time for her birthday Thursday.
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According to the El Paso Times, Mexican border police stopped him as he attempted a U-turn, and Medina Torres was arrested when they found an AR-15 rifle and handgun in his trunk.
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Going to California with an AR-15? Just as bad as Mexico.

Frankly, I would suspect gun running in this case. Most folks don't cross the international border and deal with all that crap just to have breakfast. It's been flat-out unpleasant to come back from Mexico since 9/11.
 
We can always count on some of ya'll to attack the victim of unjust firearms laws and prosecutions.
 
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