November 2008 - Posts
No Fear, No Guilt, No Shame Campaign
El Paso County Attorney José R. Rodriguez today announced a week-long series of events aimed to inform the ***, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community about resources available in our community to combat domestic violence.
The “No Fear, No Guilt, No Shame” campaign was organized by the County Attorney’s Office in conjunction with the organization “Puentes LGBT Resources” to reduce the incidence of domestic violence among members of the LGBT community. Gay and *** community members will receive information about programs and agencies that can provide help to victims of intimate partner violence.
The series of events are structured in a way that allows members of the legal and law enforcement agencies to answer questions and present information on available services to members of the LGBT community. At the same time, service providers will be able to learn about specific issues affecting victims within the LGBT community, and how to help them more efficiently to cope and recover from domestic violence experiences.
Gay and *** couples experience domestic violence like everyone else. Often, victims struggle with the pain on their own, fearing that law enforcement and other agencies will judge them harshly or ignore their complaints.
The campaign will begin on Tuesday, October 21, 2008, at the El Paso County Courthouse with a community forum where the organizers will discuss the results of a survey that reveals the prevalence of LGBT domestic violence in El Paso.
The week-long activities will end on Saturday October 25, 2008 with a presentation on the domestic violence movement in LGBT communities at the state and national levels. “This conference is the latest in a series of efforts focused on raising domestic violence awareness in the community; previous conferences have been directed towards teens and the general population. This conference will focus on another, perhaps more, vulnerable population: the gay and *** community,” explained County Attorney José R. Rodríguez.
WHO: El Paso County Attorney's Office and Puentes LGBT Resources
WHAT: No Fear, No Shame, No Guilt Campaign
WHEN: October 21 thru the 25, 2008
WHERE: Several locations
Tuesday October 21, 2008 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Community Forum: Domestic and Dating Violence in LGBT Relationships
El Paso County Courthouse, 500 E. San Antonio, 3rd floor
Wednesday October 22, 2008 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.
Roundtable Discussion: Legal Aspects of LGBT Violence
The Percolator, 217 N Stanton St. (by invitation only)
Thursday October 23, 2008 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Panel Discussion: LGBT Issues in Domestic Violence
Center Against Family Violence, 580 Giles Rd.
Friday October 24, 2008 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Presentation: Legal Advocacy for LGBT Communities|
Metropolitan Community Church, 216 S. Ochoa St.
Saturday October 25, 2008 1:45 -2:30 p.m.
Presentation: Reaching Out to LGBT Victims of Intimate Partner Violence
Region 19 ESC Head Start Multi-Purpose Center, 11670 Chito Samaniego
For more information about a particular event please call Sam Aguilera at (915) 526-1350.
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LGBT Domestic Violence Press Release.pdf
On Wednesday October 22, 2008, the second day of roundups, officers from the El Paso Sheriff Department, the County Attorney’s Office, Texas DPS Troopers, and County Constables continued conducting warrant roundups against individuals with outstanding hot checks.
Today officers arrested 14 individuals, among them 3 members of the same family with outstanding warrants for writing hot checks. Early this morning officers arrested 48-year-old Ricardo Chacon at a residence in West El Paso. Officers also picked up his daughter 28-year-old Gabriella Chacon, who was listed as living at an apartment complex also in West El Paso. When Chacon’s wife, 41-year-old Mirna Vega showed up at the jail to bond them out, the officers decided to run her name and discovered that she also had an outstanding warrant for writing hot checks. All of them were released after paying $1,060 in restitution.
With today’s roundup, the County Attorney’s Office collected an additional $17,250 for local merchants. That amount, along with the $120,829 that were collected since the beginning of the amnesty period on October 3, 2008, brings the total collection to more than $138,000.
With today’s detentions the number of individuals arrested is now 29. In the upcoming days investigators from the County Attorney's Office will continue their search for individuals with outstanding arrest warrants. Individuals with outstanding hot-checks may attempt to avoid arrest in upcoming roundups by paying as soon as possible.
However, the amnesty period is over, and law enforcement officers can conduct arrests at any time without prior notice. To make payments individuals need to go to the El Paso County Attorney’s Office, 5th floor of the County Courthouse, 500 E. San Antonio, Monday thru Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Forms of payment accepted include most credit cards, money orders, cashiers checks, and cash, however those paying cash would have to bring the exact amount (cashiers can’t give change). For more information regarding hot check payments and balances please contact the El Paso County Attorney’s Office Hot Check Unit at 546-2051. The complete and updated list of individuals with theft by check outstanding warrants will remain posted in the El Paso County web site at: www.epcounty.com/CA.
Resident with no access to a computer can look up their names by picking up one of more than 10,000 free copies of the printed warrants list that have been distributed throughout El Paso County at the following locations:
- El Paso Police Headquarters 911 N. Raynor El Paso, TX 79903
- EPP Central Regional Command 200 S. Campbell St. El Paso, TX 79901
- EPP Mission Valley Command 9011 Escobar Dr. El Paso, TX 79907
- EPP Northeast Regional Command 9600 Dyer St. El Paso, TX 79924
- EPP Pebble Hills Command 10780 Pebble Hills El Paso, TX 79935
- EPP Westside Regional Command 4801 Osborne Dr. Paso, Texas 79922
- El Paso County Sheriff's Office Vinton Substation 436A E. Vinton Road
- El Paso County Sheriff's Office Headquarters 3850 Justice Drive
- Justice of the Peace #2 (Northeast) 4641 Cohen, Suite A
- Justice of the Peace #1 (West-side) 424 Executive Center Suite 100
- Anthony Police Department 401 Wildcat Dr, Anthony TX
- Horizon Police Dept. 14999 Darrington Rd. Horizon City, TX
- Socorro Police Dept. 800 N Rio Vista Rd. Socorro, TX
- Vista Foods Supermarket 121 N. Kenazo
- Vista Foods Supermarket Central 2231 N. Zaragosa
- Vista Foods Supermarket Montana Vista 14700 Montana
- La Feria Grocery and Market 502 S Mesa St., El Paso, TX
- La Feria Supermarket Anthony 317 Main St, Anthony TX
- Mr. Payroll Check Cashing 4426 Dyer St
- All five Quality Food Marts in El Paso
- All six Melek locations in El Paso
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Hot Check Roundup Day 2 Press Release.pdf
On Tuesday October 21, 2008 officers from the El Paso Sheriff Department, the County Attorney’s Office, Texas DPS Troopers, and County Constables conducted an early warrant round up against individuals with outstanding hot checks.
Several teams went out today targeting nearly 100 fugitives and after 6 hours on the field, the officers arrested 15 fugitives who were booked into the County jail.
With today’s round up, the County Attorney’s Office collected an additional $6,291 for local merchants. That amount, along with the $114,538 that were collected since the beginning of the amnesty period on October 3, 2008, bringing the total collection to more than $120,000.
The roundups are not over. In the upcoming days, more officers will continue their search for individuals with outstanding arrest warrants for writing hot checks.
Individuals with outstanding hot-checks may attempt to avoid arrest in upcoming roundups by paying as soon as possible. However, the amnesty period is over, and law enforcement officers can conduct arrests at any time without prior notice.
To make payments individuals need to go to the El Paso County Attorney’s Office, 5th floor of the County Courthouse, 500 E. San Antonio, Monday thru Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Forms of payment accepted include most credit cards, money orders, cashiers checks, and cash, however those paying cash would have to bring the exact amount (cashiers can’t give change).
For more information regarding hot check payments and balances please contact the El Paso County Attorney’s Office Hot Check Unit at 546-2051. The complete and updated list of individuals with theft by check outstanding warrants will remain posted in the El Paso County web site at: www.epcounty.com/CA.
Resident with no access to a computer can look up their names by picking up one of more than 10,000 free copies of the printed warrants list that have been distributed throughout El Paso County at the following locations:
- El Paso Police Headquarters 911 N. Raynor El Paso, TX 79903
- EPP Central Regional Command 200 S. Campbell St. El Paso, TX 79901
- EPP Mission Valley Command 9011 Escobar Dr. El Paso, TX 79907
- EPP Northeast Regional Command 9600 Dyer St. El Paso, TX 79924
- EPP Pebble Hills Command 10780 Pebble Hills El Paso, TX 79935
- EPP Westside Regional Command 4801 Osborne Dr. Paso, Texas 79922
- El Paso County Sheriff's Office Vinton Substation 436A E. Vinton Road
- El Paso County Sheriff's Office Headquarters 3850 Justice Drive
- Justice of the Peace #2 (Northeast) 4641 Cohen, Suite A
- Justice of the Peace #1 (West-side) 424 Executive Center Suite 100
- Anthony Police Department 401 Wildcat Dr, Anthony TX
- Horizon Police Dept. 14999 Darrington Rd. Horizon City, TX
- Socorro Police Dept. 800 N Rio Vista Rd. Socorro, TX
- Vista Foods Supermarket 121 N. Kenazo
- Vista Foods Supermarket Central 2231 N. Zaragosa
- Vista Foods Supermarket Montana Vista 14700 Montana
- La Feria Grocery and Market 502 S Mesa St., El Paso, TX
- La Feria Supermarket Anthony 317 Main St, Anthony TX
- Mr. Payroll Check Cashing 4426 Dyer St
- All five Quality Food Marts in El Paso
- All six Melek locations in El Paso
# # #
Roundup Day 1 Press Release.pdf
El Paso County Attorney José R. Rodríguez informed today that a local 16-year-old male accused of aggravated sexual assault will be tried as an adult after a district court judge decided to certify him as an adult.
The allegations stemmed from a night-time abduction of a young woman who left her home to get a late-night snack from a fast food restaurant. The victim was forced back into her car under the threat of a gun and driven to an isolated area of the city where she was sexually assaulted. After the attack the abductor drove her to another part of the city. When she had an opportunity, she jumped from the moving vehicle and ran screaming to a nearby home.
Quick response from the El Paso Police Department’s Forensic Team lead to the discovery of a fine print and the victim subsequently identified a picture of the defendant. This morning, after hearing the facts of the case, 65th District Court Judge Alfredo Chavez certified the juvenile to face 4 criminal counts: Aggravated kidnapping, aggravated sexual assault, aggravated robbery, and aggravated assault.
As a consequence of the certification, the juvenile will be transferred to the county jail to await trial. In the meantime, the County Attorney's Office will transfer the case to the District Attorney's Office for prosecution. Adult certification of a juvenile offender is reserved for the most serious criminal cases. In approving the certification the judge considers four factors:
- Whether the alleged offense was against a person or property, with greater weight in favor of transfer given to offenses against the person.
- The sophistication and maturity of the child.
- The record and previous history of the child.
- The prospects of adequate protection of the public and the likelihood of the rehabilitation of the child by use of procedures, services, and facilities currently available to the juvenile court.
In this case, the court weighed all the factors and determined that due to the serious nature of the crimes alleged that it was appropriate to certify. The juvenile is now subject to the full range of penalties available in adult criminal cases.
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Juvenile Sex Offender Press Release.pdf