Officers with Customs and Border Protection busted two men wanted in Texas for child sex crimes over the weekend.
CBP officers arrested 49-year-old Cirino Gutierrez and 70-year-old Bernardo Vasquez Rodriguez separately this weekend. Both suspects were wanted in Texas for “indecency with a child by sexual contact.”
Gutierrez, an American citizen, was wanted in the South Texas town of Alton. Rodriguez, a Mexican citizen, was wanted in Harris County near Houston. In Texas, indecency with a child by sexual contact is a second-degree felony, which can bring up to 20 years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine.
When Gutierrez approached the Progreso International Bridge – about halfway between Brownsville and McAllen – on August 23, CBP officers referred him for “secondary inspection,” according to a press release. Then, they used “biometric verification” to run him through law enforcement databases.
He had a “felony warrant” from the Alton Police Department for “indecency with a child by sexual contact.” Officers turned him over to the department to bring him to jail so he could face the warrant.
Gutierrez was booked in the Hidalgo County Jail on August 25, according to jail records. He faced a $20,000 bond.
“CBP officers frequently encounter fugitives of the law wanted for a variety of offenses, sexual crimes against children still rank amongst the most heinous,” said Progreso Port Director Michael Martinez in the release.
Then the next day, August 24, Rodriguez approached the Juarez-Lincoln Bridge near Laredo, according to a press release. He was a passenger on a commercial bus at the time, and CBP officers similarly referred him for secondary inspection for “biometric verification.”
Officers found he had an “outstanding felony warrant” for “indecency with a child by sexual contact” from the Harris County Sheriff’s Office near Houston. They turned him over to the Webb County Sheriff’s Office to “await criminal proceedings.”
“This apprehension reflects our unwavering commitment to protecting the most vulnerable members of our communities, our children,” said Laredo Port Director Alberto Flores in the release. “We will continue working alongside our law enforcement partners to ensure that individuals accused of committing crimes against children are held accountable.”
In both instances, officials credited the National Crime Information Center – a “centralized automated database” where law enforcement agencies can share information, including outstanding warrants.
Last week, CBP officers in Del Rio nabbed a suspect wanted in White Settlement for aggravated sex assault of a child. On the same day in Eagle Pass, CBP officers arrested a man wanted in Chicago on the identical charge.
As The Dallas Express previously reported, ICE also arrested a Mexican national on August 18 in Houston, who was a “criminal alien and convicted child predator.”
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