Cop Shop

A 45-year-old man from Mexico was sentenced Thursday to 20 years in federal prison for his role in holding 76 illegal immigrants hostage in a Peoria home, according the U.S. Attorney for Arizona.
A jury found Rufino Valdez-Lopez guilty in October on five counts related to the April 2007 kidnapping.
Sandy Raynor, U.S. Attorney spokeswoman, said in a press release that Valdez and five others would wave around an automatic rifle to intimidate the victims.
One of the victims testified he was held hostage for 40 days.

A Mexican man was sentenced Tuesday to seven years in prison for pistol whipping illegal immigrants he was holding hostage in March.
Asuncion Flores-Gutierrez, 33, was one of four suspects who held a group of illegal immigrants hostage on March 14 in a west Phoenix stash house, forcing them to turn over more money than their agreed upon smuggling fees.
Jose Benavides-Ochoa, 25 and Mario Leon-Olea, 56, both of Mexico, were sentenced earlier this year to seven and five years respectively in connection with the case, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office. A juvenile was also involved but his court status was unavailable.

A 20-year-old man who shot and wounded a state trooper in July pleaded guilty Friday to several felonies.
Daniel Novasad could get a prison term of more than 50 years when he is sentenced Jan. 25.
Novasad was on a motorcycle when he fled from Department of Public Safety officer Kyle Forest July 5 near 99th and Grand avenues.
Novasad dumped his motorcycle and ran away, firing six shots at Forest and hitting four times.
Forest recovered from his wounds.

A video has been posted online of a man exposing himself in public in Valley stores and shopping malls, ABC 15 reported today. The video shows the man exposing himself in front of customers at the Arrowhead Towne Center mall in Glendale and at local Wal-Mart and Barnes and Noble stores.

In the video, it appears the man is filming himself by placing the camera on a shelf before pulling down his pants, the news station reported. Glendale, Phoenix and Peoria police departments are now investigating the case after ABC 15 reported it, but the agencies say no victims have yet come forward.

The news station has a censored version of the video posted on its Web site.

A man charged with attempting to smuggle $3 million worth of wedding dresses from the United States to Mexico was arrested Nov. 1 by federal immigration officials. The trailer full of dresses was stolen from the parking lot of a north Scottsdale hotel last November.

Investigators believe Alejandro Parra-Ruiz, 32, of Laveen hired a driver to haul the dresses across the Nogales border-crossing in April. Border patrol discovered the pricey goods after the driver tried to re-enter the United States with the trailer because Mexican officials refused him entry, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

Making Memories Breast Cancer Foundation reported the donated dresses stolen on Nov. 5, 2006. They were to be sold at a fundraising auction in Chicago. Authorities said the dresses were returned in April soon after they were found.

See the Tribune’s article on the dresses’ return.

In a phone call to the driver monitored by investigators, Parra-Ruiz denied any knowledge the dresses were stolen. He claimed he’d bought them at a local swap meet.

Parra-Ruiz is a citizen of Mexico and a legal permanent U.S. resident. A federal magistrate judge released him on a $15,000 bond on Nov. 2 pending his next court appearance. He has pleaded not guilty.

Prosecutors said an international smuggling conviction is punishable by up to 10 years in prison, a $250,00 fine, or both.