Ex-border agents begin serving time for shooting

[HARDCORE]

http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniont...n18border.html

Prosecutor outlines the 'myth vs. reality' in controversial case

By Alicia A. Caldwell
ASSOCIATED PRESS

January 18, 2007

EL PASO, Texas ? A pair of former U.S. Border Patrol agents convicted in the shooting of a Mexican drug smuggler started serving their federal prison sentences yesterday, officials said.

Jose Alonso Compean and Ignacio Ramos were convicted last year for violating the civil rights of Osvaldo Aldrete Davila and tampering with evidence. A federal judge sentenced Ramos to 11 years and Compean to 12 years in prison, partly due to a 10-year mandatory sentence for using a weapon in the commission of a crime.

A spokesman for the U.S. Marshals Service in El Paso said the men surrendered just before Judge Kathleen Cardone's deadline of 2 p.m. yesterday. Cardone denied a request to let them remain free pending appeals.

Attorneys for the agents didn't immediately return calls seeking comment.

U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton issued a five-page document yesterday outlining what he called the case's ?myth vs. reality.?

Sutton told The Associated Press that the document was released to provide ?the other side? of the case, which he said has been lacking in some news coverage of the agents' trial and subsequent sentencing.

?The unfortunate thing about this case is that there was a lot of misinformation put out from early on,? Sutton said. He said he opted not to respond in the midst of the trial to avoid prosecuting the case in the media.

Sutton has been criticized by supporters of the former agents, who have said that the agents were defending themselves when they shot Aldrete, who they claim was armed. Aldrete, who fled back to Mexico after the shooting on Feb. 17, 2005, has admitted he was trying to smuggle marijuana while in the country illegally.

Compean and Ramos fired 15 shots at Aldrete, hitting him once in the buttocks.

Sutton's document said: ?An agent is not permitted to shoot an unarmed suspect who is running away. There was no credible evidence that the agents were in a life-threatening situation or that (the smuggler) had a weapon that would justify the use of deadly force. In fact, Border Patrol Agent (Oscar) Juar?z, who was at the scene, testified at trial that he did not draw his pistol because he did not believe there was a threat. He also testified that Aldrete did not have a weapon and was almost to Mexico when Agent Compean began firing at him.?

Sutton has said Aldrete was not prosecuted in part because none of the Border Patrol agents at the scene could identify him, and there was no evidence linking him to a van loaded with marijuana that he later admitted to driving across the border.

Both agents are appealing their convictions. Several members of Congress have urged President Bush to pardon the men.

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Huntington Beach, lashed out yesterday at Bush in a statement.

?This is the worst betrayal of American defenders I have ever seen. It's shameful this was done by someone who is in the Republican Party. He obviously thinks more about his agreements with Mexico than the lives of American people,? Rohrabacher said.
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The El Paso Times contributed to this report.

[39mto39g]

These two did so much wrong with this case and yet they should not be going to jail, in my opinion.
They shot a guy that was running away, they shot many rounds and covered, or tried to cover up the whole thing.
I heard from people in low places, that the officers were trying to get money from the guy for bringing pot into the country, the guy refused and so the cops were going to take the pot, a scuffle ensued and the guy ran off and was shot in the butt. The officers now say that they were trying to arrest the guy and a scuffle ensued and they thought the guy had a weapon and shot in self defense. Either story is possible. The courts have found them guilty for some reason that is not out in the media. I can't believe that a jury would find these guys guilty with what the media is putting out there. there has to be more evidence that we are not seeing, or our court system really suck. There is rumor that the mexican was working for the feds in a sting (type) operation to root out cops that were taking money from illegal mexicans. But you know what they say about rumors. Seems funny that the feds knew where to find this guy in Mexico, brought him back to US, gave him medical treatment, Amnesty and let him go.
HUUUUUUMM.

Ron

[reconeil]

Hey,...Buddy.
That's what politically-correct politics & justice is all about.
See my 2 cents about the absurdity, over on Political.

Neil

[Seascamp]

It seems to me that we have our Border Cops trying to drink from a high pressure fire hose whilst being stabbed in the back by our politicos and also having the MSM pissing in their back pocket, again. When people get put in a pressure cooker like that, bad things happen; I think that?s a rule carved in stone somewhere.

Fact is, if a Border Cop is in the wrong place at the wrong time and encounters the heavily armed Mexican Federalies doing one of their armed vehicle convoy dope runs or one of the warring Nuevo Laredo cartels making a run, they are dead in an instant, no doubt about that. Then add the tidal wave of people trying to escape from South America and Mexico that are escorted by armed coyotes and we?re talking one bad-ass place to be.

In the middle of this self-inflicted chaotic situation we deem it necessary to play chicken-shit rule book games with the Cops, ya right. The song lyrics, ?We got to get out of this place? come to mind and it certainly appears that ?Good morning Vietnam? has come to our southern border. I suppose the next shoe to drop will be Congressional hue n' cry to ?redeploy? our southern Border Cops to the Yukon border area.

Scamp

[HARDCORE]

Scamp

Right On!!!!!!!

Rick