The Best and Brightest

COLORADO SPRINGS, CO (ABC News 13) – The man who fatally shot an El Paso County deputy and injured two other deputies, a Colorado Springs officer and a nearby citizen has been identified.

Manuel Zetina, 19, of Colorado Springs was killed in the crossfire with El Paso County deputies and a Colorado Springs officer at Murray Hill Apartments on Monday night.

Beat Auto Theft Through Law Enforcement task force detectives were in the 4200 block of Galley Road at just before 4 p.m. investigating a stolen vehicle.

While the detectives were trying to make an arrest on Zetina, he drew a gun and began firing. Deputy Micah Lee Flick was killed while Deputy Scott Stone, Sergeant Jake Abendshan, and Officer Marcus Yanez were wounded and rushed to the hospital.

Zetina was pronounced dead at the scene.

A semi-automatic was recovered from the Murray Hill Apartments parking lot.

El Paso County Court documents show Zetina’s criminal past:

Two open traffic cases :

Jan. 1, 2018

Charges of Having a Fictitious Plate
Driving Without a License
Defective Headlights

Jan. 8, 2018

Charges of Having a Fictitious Plate
Driving Without a License
Driving with no insurance

One closed misdemeanor case:

Jan. 23, 2016

Possession of Drug Paraphernalia (Guilty Plea March 16, 2016)
Possession of 2 oz or less of Marijuana​​​​​​​

Thomas Villaneuva was walking in the area and was shot through the chest. He is undergoing treatment at a local hospital.

The CSPD Deadly Force Investigation Team (DFIT) is the lead agency conducting this investigation.

Detective Micah Flick’s and Manuel Zetina’s deaths represent the third and fourth homicides investigated by the Colorado Springs Police Department in 2018.

MILFORD, MA (The Milford Daily News) – A Milford man, who authorities allege struck an off-duty police officer earlier this week while driving under the influence and lied about it, was held on $10,000 cash bail Thursday in Milford District Court.

Ignacio Morocho, 42, of 7 South High St., faces several charges, including operating under the influence of liquor, unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, negligent operation of a motor vehicle, misleading a police officer, failing to stop or yield and possessing an open container of alcohol in a motor vehicle, police said.

He was also arrested on a warrant on charges of driving without a license from a prior case.

A not guilty plea was entered on his behalf during an arraignment hearing.

Witnesses told police the vehicle Morocho, an Ecuadorian immigrant, was allegedly driving went through a stop sign at the intersection of Central and East streets Tuesday night and struck a vehicle driven by an off-duty Milford police officer.

According to a police report on file in court, the officer had a concussion, a laceration on his head and numerous bruises on his body.

He was taken to Milford Regional Medical Center for treatment and was released the following day, police Chief Tom O’Loughlin said.

Authorities responded to the crash around 10:30 p.m., when they found the off-duty officer being treated by EMS personnel.

The officer said he was traveling east on Central Street when he was struck by a vehicle coming from East Street.

His vehicle, which was heavily damaged on its sides and rear, was on the sidewalk and had struck a stop sign and a fire hydrant because of the crash, the report said.

Morocho was in the passenger seat of the other vehicle when police found him.

Authorities said his speech was slurred and they smelled alcohol on his breath.

He told them he was a passenger of the vehicle and that the driver had fled the scene, police said.

″(Morocho) also stated he did not know who the operator was, but he fled the scene of the accident after it happened. (He) also told officers he did not know where they were going, or where he was picked up from.”

Police said they found empty cans of beer in the vehicle. They also determined a warrant was issued for Morocho’s arrest on charges of unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle that he had defaulted on in a different case.

O’Loughlin said police notified Immigration and Customs Enforcement regarding Morocho’s arrest.

The owner of the vehicle was issued citations for allowing an unlicensed or improper operator and for possessing an open container of alcohol in a motor vehicle.

Morocho is due back in court on March 8 for a pretrial hearing.

COWETA COUNTY, GA (The Dayton Daily News) – James Morris was not bothering a soul Tuesday as he stood in the self-checkout area of a local Kroger with his 2-year-old son.

One minute, the toddler was asking for a candy bar. The next, a man with “a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage” was grabbing the boy by the arm and spanking him, according to a police report obtained from officials in Newnan, Ga., south of Atlanta.

“I was watching what happened,” Morris told WSB-TV, “and I looked up at him and that’s when he made the statement, ‘This is what we do to kids in Mexico.’”

“I said, ‘Buddy, we’re not in Mexico.’”

Store employees quickly separated them. The report did not specify why or how many times 62-year-old Juan Guvarra Martinez hit the boy.

When an officer tried to handcuff him, he resisted, officials said.

“Juan was taken to the ground and we were able to grab his arm so it could be cuffed,” police said. “We had to stand Juan up and escort him out of the business.”

Martinez later began kicking the doors and windows of the patrol car.

After he was cleared by Piedmont Newnan Hospital staff, Martinez was arrested on multiple charges, including simple battery, child cruelty, disorderly conduct, obstructing officers and violating probation, according to jail records.

He is in the Coweta County jail.

ST. JOSEPH, MO (The News Press & Gazette) – New details are coming to light on the weekend stabbing that may have claimed the life of one woman.

Authorities identfied the suspect in the case as 26-year-old Eliseo Hernandez-Sabastian.

He remains jailed this morning on suspicion of first-degree aggravated assault. It is not known if he is facing formal charges.

Officers say the suspect fled the scene after the stabbing early Saturday morning at Legends sports bar on the North Belt Highway. He was later taken into custody.

Two employees were taken to the hospital with stabbing wounds. The male victim was treated and released, but the female suffered what police described as “very severe” injuries.

Social media posts from friends and family claim the woman, Terra M. Reents, died as a result of her injuries. Those claims could not be verified.

“They are saying their goodbyes, and letting her go. Terra was a daughter, a mother a wife and so much more,” one of the posts said.

The death would be the first homicide of 2018 in St. Joseph. Reported murders increased by one in 2017. Seven were reported in 2016 compared to eight in 2017.

**Update**

The man accused in the incident, Eliseo Hernandez-Sebastian, 26, of St. Joseph, is now facing murder and assault charges after police say he stabbed two bar employees, including Reents, at Legend’s Sports Bar and Grill. Reents later died from her injuries.

The Buchanan County Prosecuting Attorney’s office charged Hernandez-Sebastian with second-degree murder and first-degree assault on Monday.

A GoFundMe account was created Monday for Reents and more than $3,900 has been raised to help cover funeral expenses. The bar is also scheduled to host a benefit Feb. 14 for the victim’s family. The fundraising page said Reents was a mother of five children. “Terra was an incredible mother, daughter, sister, and more. Her spirit and love for life was immeasurable.

She has five beautiful children who, thanks to a needless and senseless act of violence, now need all of our support now more than ever,” a statement said on the GoFundMe page

RIO VISTA, TX (WFAA) – The suspect in a horrific drunk driving accident that claimed the life of a young mother has now drawn the attention of federal immigration officials.

Candido Martinez-Ramirez, 32, is in a Johnson County jail cell after recently being arrested for intoxication manslaughter by Rio Vista police.

Chief David Niederhaus said Ramirez was drunk when his pick-up truck collided with an SUV on Texas 174 two weeks ago.

The driver of that SUV, Jenifer Smith, was killed at the scene.

“We moved quickly with the DA on this to get a warrant,” Niederhaus told WFAA on Thursday.

He said Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers also interviewed Ramirez, and placed a “hold” on him after determining he was undocumented and here illegally.

Coworkers of Smith, a mother of two boys, said the usually bustling diner she ran at a local Shell gas station in Cleburne isn’t the same.

“You can spend your whole day with someone, even your whole life, and they’re just gone like that,” Sheri Rhoudes said.

Rhoudes is now in charge of the kitchen at the spot on W. Industrial Avenue.

She said they’ve left up Jenifer’s schedule, photos, and have yet to erase the last daily “special” she wrote on a dry erase board.

“We’re going to keep that there in her memory,” said Rhoudes.

So far, close to $3,000 has been raised to help the two boys.

Jenifer was on the way to pick them up from school when the accident occurred. “She wasn’t even five minutes away,” said Rhoudes.

Jenifer’s sister, Chaycee Maxwell, provided WFAA with some photos of the 33-year-old and said in a brief statement:

“She is an amazing person, a wonderful mother of two who love and miss her dearly. She is missed very deeply by her parents, her siblings, and many many friends of hers. We’re devastated by this tragedy and are trying to get through each day one day at a time.”

A memorial service was held on Saturday.

If anyone wants to donate to Jenifer’s family, they can stop by Junction at the Shell station on 102 W. Industrial in Cleburne.

Ramirez has a $200,000 bond on the intoxication manslaughter by vehicle charge, but continues to face the immigration detainer, as well.

CLACKAMAS COUNTY, OR (Breitbart) – An Oregon jury convicted a previously deported Mexican national of sexually assaulting a nine-year-old girl. The convicted child-rapist has a history of crimes in the U.S.

The little girl’s mother told law enforcement officials in Clackamas County last year that a man broke into their 9 and 5-year-old daughters’ bedroom. The man came through the window of their apartment at night on February 25 and sexually assaulted their daughter. Although he escaped through a window, law enforcement officials were able to find his fingerprints, KATU2 in Portland, Oregon reported.

Breitbart Texas reported that federal officers arrested 48-year-old Santiago Flores-Martinez when he was trying to cross back into Mexico in late April. The port’s Anti-Terrorism Contraband Enforcement Team (A-TCET) apprehended the Mexican national at the San Ysidro port of entry. San Ysidro is a district within the City of San Diego and is on the California-Mexico border near Tijuana.

Officials identified Flores-Martinez when they retrieved biometric information on him via the “Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System” (IAFIS).

Police began searching for the accused child rapist on April 25.

Fox 12 Oregon reported the jury found Flores-Martinez guilty on charges that include first-degree sex abuse, attempted rape, burglary, and coercion. His sentencing hearing is scheduled to begin on Monday.

The convicted child rapist has used the aliases “Felipe Coeto” and “Isidro Ramos Flores.”

The previously deported Mexican national has a criminal record in the U.S. that dates back to 1994. Immigration officers deported him in 2001 after serving two years in prison in Oregon.

Clackamas County is located just southeast of Portland, Oregon. The county is listed by the Center for Immigration Studies as being a sanctuary jurisdiction that has policies prohibiting local law enforcement officials from cooperating with federal immigration officers.

FAYETTEVILLE, AR (40/29 News) – Police arrested Raymond Peraza-Ayuso Wednesday night after he was accused of secretly taking videos of men using the bathroom at Planet Fitness.

Police were called to the gym just south of Wedington and west of I-49 by a manager. The manager told police he saw Peraza-Ayuso stick a cell phone out from under the stall and towards a urinal.

Officers spoke with Peraza-Ayuso, and obtained consent to search his phone, according to the police report. They found numerous videos of men using the restroom in Planet Fitness. Peraza-Ayuso told police he took the videos.

Peraza-Ayuso was arrested on a charge of video voyeurism. He bonded out Thursday afternoon.