Bounty Hunting in Mexico, misleading headline

Five Americans accused of bounty hunting in Mexico

SIERRA VISTA, Arizona (AP) -- Mexican authorities have arrested five U.S. citizens and accused them of trying to kidnap two men in Mexico.

Roberto Bejarano, chief of the Sonora state police investigative unit in Naco, Mexico, said Raul Arellanes Valdez, 31; Lewis Lee Harold, 48; Ricardo Polanco, 49; and Polanco's two sons captured two Mexican citizens as they were walking down a street Wednesday morning.

A judge is expected to decide this week whether there is enough evidence to charge them with the crime of unlawful deprivation of freedom, Bejarano said.

Bounty hunting is illegal in Mexico, which has previously pursued criminal charges against TV reality star Duane "Dog" Chapman.

Chapman, who stars in the A&E television show "Dog the Bounty Hunter," was arrested in September by U.S. authorities on a Mexican warrant following his capture of fugitive convicted rapist and Max Factor cosmetics heir Andrew Luster in that country.

In this incident, Bejarano said the suspects loaded the two men into a pickup at gunpoint, tied their feet together and told them they were U.S. officials. But the two men struggled with their captors and were able to jump from the truck just before it crossed into the United States, the Sierra Vista Herald reported Thursday.

A short time later, Bejarano said, the five alleged bounty hunters returned to Naco, Mexico, wearing new sets of clothing but driving the same pickup.

Police spotted the vehicle and arrested the men

"I would bet that this case has nothing to do with Bail Enforcement, imimgiration bonds or ICE warrents. And more to do with the drug trade , or auto. theft along the boarder that has resulted in several murders including the a local police chief.
This is a tough area that I have worked many times and have good relations with the law on both sides.
You see things down there that you don't see often. For example I have seen armed mexican troops cross the boarder to eat at a local Pizza place outside of bisbee. And up until recently they would cross to buy food at local stores. "Only in America."

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Mark C. Cavendish is a Certified Fugitive Recovery Agent, P.O.S.T. Certified by the State of Colorado and registered with the Arizona Department of Insurance. Member of the National Surety Investigators Network #MC806, The U.S. Professional Bail Bond Investigators Association, and a Life Member of The U.S. Coalition of Bail recovery Agents "Cobra" Control # 1058. Serveing Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico.
phone 520.850.7490 24/7/365

"Sub Rosa"

Bizbee, Az. Has a restaurant now ? Since when ?..lol Man it's been 20 years since I was there.

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River City Associates
Decatur, Al. 35601

"And a darn good one to, my khaki wearing friend."

_________________
Mark C. Cavendish is a Certified Fugitive Recovery Agent, P.O.S.T. Certified by the State of Colorado and registered with the Arizona Department of Insurance. Member of the National Surety Investigators Network #MC806, The U.S. Professional Bail Bond Investigators Association, and a Life Member of The U.S. Coalition of Bail recovery Agents "Cobra" Control # 1058. Serveing Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico.
phone 520.850.7490 24/7/365

"Sub Rosa"

Wow..the last time I was there was in 1988. I was on a 3 month cross desert trek by horseback. We rode through Bizbee, Tombstone, Ft. Juachuca (sp ?), Douglas, Tucson, and other places I cannot remember.

What I do remember of Bizbee..was ..well... just desert and the Turquoise mines. There actually was a wooden city sign, aged and weather worn, that had the word "Population" stamped on it, with numbers to the right...with top numbers being "X'd" out, the last number on the bottom being the current census. For some reason the number I remember is around 300+/-.

I loved that adventure as much as anything else I have done in my life. The desert and her night time music, sunsets and rises, mesquite camp/cook fires, coyotes howling at night, the smell of horses and saddle leather, the refreshing sensation of a desert rain.....

A lifetime ago far away from who and what I am now.

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River City Associates
Decatur, Al. 35601

Yes they have several restaurants. Where do you think I ate for the several years I lived there? Mark, are you talking about the pizza place on 92? We used to go into Naco at least once a week for stuff, cheese, tortillas, baked goods, etc. Never seen any armed troops, but I haven't lived there in 25 years. The mine is the Copper Queen Mine at used to be the second largest open pit mine in the world.

Yes that has to be the same pizza joint. Bisbee is still great. I used to rodeo in that little arena about 25 years ago. And drink beer in Brewry gulch. Good days.

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Mark C. Cavendish is a Certified Fugitive Recovery Agent, P.O.S.T. Certified by the State of Colorado and registered with the Arizona Department of Insurance. Member of the National Surety Investigators Network #MC806, The U.S. Professional Bail Bond Investigators Association, and a Life Member of The U.S. Coalition of Bail recovery Agents "Cobra" Control # 1058. Serveing Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico.
phone 520.850.7490 24/7/365

"Sub Rosa"

We spent our time out in the actual desert..riding cross country 24/7. So I never got to see any of the local attractions and would have no idea what was/is available out there then or now.

All I remember is how beautiful it was, how much fun it was, how beautiful the women were, and how freindly the locals were. Except for a local band of Indians who counted "coup" on us by sneaking into our camp 1 night and setting our horses loose from our picket lines...lol

They awakened us by whooping and hollering loudly as they ran away from our camp.

Good times....

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River City Associates
Decatur, Al. 35601

BREAKING NEWS: Accused bounty hunters released for lack of evidence
By Jonathan Clark
Herald/Review

Published on Saturday, May 05, 2007

BISBEE — Five U.S. citizens who were arrested in Naco, Sonora, on Wednesday and accused of bounty hunting have been released after a Mexican prosecutor found a lack of evidence in the case, a U.S. consular official said Friday.

Four of the five detainees were released from custody Thursday evening, said Jim Bredeck, vice consul in Nogales, Sonora. The fifth member of the group, a 13-year-old boy, was turned over to family members on Wednesday.




All five have returned to the United States, Bredeck said.

Bredeck identified three of the detainees as Richard Polanco, Richard Polanco Jr., and Harold Lewis, all from the metro Phoenix area.

The fourth adult did not give Bredeck permission to release his name. An arrest report from the Sonora state police depot in Naco had earlier identified the man as Raul Arellanes Valdez, of Phoenix.

The arrest report had reversed Lewis’ first and last names, identifying him as Lewis Lee Harold.

The five Americans were arrested at approximately 11:30 a.m. Wednesday after two Mexican nationals, Luis Perez Flores, 31, and Trinidad Vizcarra Garcia, 26, told police that the men had detained them at gunpoint as they were walking down a street in central Naco.

Perez and Vizcarra said they were forced into a pickup truck and driven toward the U.S. border, but that they were able to escape before crossing the international boundary.

Roberto Bejarano, chief of the Sonora state police investigative unit in Naco, said statements from Perez and Vizcarra suggested that the Americans had been hired to detain them and retrieve a vehicle that they had allegedly stolen from Phoenix.

Bejarano charged the four adults with unlawfully depriving Perez and Vizcarra of their freedom and sent them to Cananea, Sonora, to appear before a judge.

Lewis’ son told the Herald/Review that Perez and Vizcarra had fabricated the story. However, he declined to go on record with his father’s account of the incident.

Bredeck said U.S. consular officials had taken an active interest in the case since Mexican authorities first notified them of the arrests on Wednesday.

“Whenever American citizens are detained or arrested overseas, we express an interest in the case,” he said. “We try to provide some service, such as notifying family or friends, but primarily by letting all the parties involved know that we are interested in the case and monitoring it.”

“And in this case,” Bredeck added, “it seems to have turned out very favorably, so we are relieved.”

Bounty hunting is illegal in Mexico. Duane “Dog” Chapman, star of the reality TV program “Dog the Bounty Hunter,” is currently facing extradition to Mexico on a charge stemming from his high-profile capture of a serial rapist in Puerto Vallarta in 2003.

Herald/Review reporter Jonathan Clark can be reached at 515-4693 or

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Mark C. Cavendish is a Certified Fugitive Recovery Agent, P.O.S.T. Certified by the State of Colorado and registered with the Arizona Department of Insurance. Member of the National Surety Investigators Network #MC806, The U.S. Professional Bail Bond Investigators Association, and a Life Member of The U.S. Coalition of Bail recovery Agents "Cobra" Control # 1058. Serveing Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico.
phone 520.850.7490 24/7/365

"Sub Rosa"