Fugitive

FIEL Houston and the family of Miguel Parra-Hernandez held a news conference introducing additional firsthand witnesses to the Oct. 10 incident in which the 48-year-old was struck by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement vehicle in northwest Harris County. Organization director Cesar Espinosa said the new witnesses can corroborate that none of them, including Parra-Hernandez, was the intended target of the ICE operation that morning near Clay Road and Highway 6. ICE has said Parra-Hernandez ran in front of an agent's vehicle as officers pursued people fleeing on foot during an attempted apprehension; his family and representatives dispute that account. He suffered a right leg broken in three places and a fractured ankle, has undergone surgery, and faces further procedures.

The Harris County District Attorney's Office, which is examining whether the agent's conduct could support an aggravated assault charge, has hired outside attorneys including former U.S. Attorney Alamdar Hamdani and use-of-force consultant Marc Brown using part of $2.5 million county commissioners allocated for ICE-related investigations. That funding was originally tied to a separate, ongoing grand jury probe into the fatal July shooting of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo by an ICE agent, a case District Attorney Sean Teare expects federal jurisdiction issues to complicate.

A man wanted in Arizona for nearly two decades on charges of child molestation and sexual conduct with a minor has been apprehended in Texas. Jesse Rodriguez, 82, was stopped for a traffic violation by a Bexar County deputy constable on Aug. 12 while using the name Jesus Ruben Rodriguez. A records check flagged a possible match to a Maricopa County fugitive warrant, but discrepancies in his identification meant authorities could not confirm his identity at the time, and he was released with a written warning.

Following further investigation and confirmation from Maricopa County officials, Bexar County deputies arrested Rodriguez on Sept. 4. He admitted his true identity and acknowledged knowing about the outstanding warrant, telling officials he had been evading capture for almost 20 years. Rodriguez is currently held in Bexar County Jail awaiting extradition to Arizona to face the felony charges.

A Monterey, Tennessee woman has filed a federal lawsuit alleging she was wrongfully arrested and jailed after officers mistook her for a different woman with the same first and last name. Nicole Maclellan says she was pulled over by Monterey police on June 29 over a license plate light and was told she was wanted in Cumberland County on theft and criminal trespass charges. She insists she told officers repeatedly they had the wrong person, but was arrested, transferred to Cumberland County deputies, and jailed for several hours.

The lawsuit contends the actual suspect had a different middle name, birth date, Social Security number, driver's license number, physical description, and vehicle — and was already in custody at the Putnam County Jail at the time of Maclellan's arrest. Maclellan says she lost her job as a result. The suit names the Town of Monterey, Cumberland County, and Putnam County along with several officers, deputies, and jailers.

ICE agent Christian Castro was released Thursday from a Cameron County, Texas jail, hours after a federal judge rejected Minnesota's bid to compel Gov. Greg Abbott to sign an extradition warrant and keep Castro detained past Texas's 90-day limit. U.S. District Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr., a Trump appointee, ruled the case was not yet "ripe" because Abbott had not denied the extradition request, only ordered an investigation into whether Castro qualifies as a "fugitive." Sheriff Manuel Trevino said Texas law required Castro's release once the 90-day window lapsed. His whereabouts afterward were unknown, and it was unclear if he has legal representation.

Castro faces assault and false-reporting charges in Minnesota after shooting Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis during a January 14 Minneapolis ICE operation. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, calling Texas a "sanctuary state for violent criminals," cited jailhouse calls about fleeing to Mexico and vowed to keep fighting. Abbott's office said the ruling affirmed his authority to review extradition requests before acting.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has sued Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Cameron County Sheriff Manuel Trevino in federal court, seeking to force Abbott to sign extradition paperwork for ICE agent Christian Castro. This follows a judge's earlier denial of Minnesota's request for a restraining order to keep Castro jailed in Texas amid the extradition dispute. Castro faces four felony counts of second-degree assault and a misdemeanor count of falsely reporting a crime after a January shooting of Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis in Minneapolis during Operation Metro Surge, with surveillance video contradicting his account. Minnesota's suit argues the nearly three-month delay is unlawful and unusual, noting past extraditions between the states were typically resolved within about 30 days, and cites a 1987 Supreme Court ruling requiring states to honor extradition requests. Abbott, facing reelection, has not commented on the pending matter. Texas law caps fugitive detention at 90 days, making Castro eligible for release around August 26. The Justice Department is reportedly weighing separate federal charges.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers arrested Matthew Thomas Cooley, 41, of Solon, Maine, at Philadelphia International Airport on Sunday as he attempted to board a one-way flight to Frankfurt, Germany. Cooley was wanted on felony charges including gross sexual assault, possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, and domestic violence stalking.

He also faces additional charges, including assault on an officer and refusing to submit to arrest, stemming from an April incident in which he allegedly pepper-sprayed officers during his arrest. CBP officers located him at the departure gate before he could leave the country. He was turned over to police in Tinicum Township, Pennsylvania, to begin extradition proceedings back to Maine.