MEXICALI BRIEFS
Two arrested for murder
Two were arrested Friday night on suspicion of killing a 45-year-old man with a wooden club and a machete.
Mexicali police said they believe Benjamin Jaime, 38, and Gerardo, 39, killed Adolfo González Rodríguez shortly before 11 p.m. at Del Claustro Avenue and De Las Velas Street in the Mision del Ángel neighborhood.
Police responded to a report of an injury and found Rodriguez at the scene unconscious with multiple injuries, including a head injury. Efforts to revive him were unsuccessful.
Three witnesses, including a 15-year-old boy and a neighbor, told authorities the suspects allegedly assaulted Rodriguez with a club and then hit him in the head with a machete.
The suspects were transported to Eastern Command Station.
Dozens of fleeing minors reported
General Director of the System for the Family Development Agency of Baja California Blanca Estela Fabela Dávalos reported at a legislative hearing on actions undertaken in temporary shelters and homes.
Speaking before members of the Commission for Social Development and Indigenous Affairs and the Commission for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the Elderly and Children, Fabela Dávalos said the shelters had many deficiencies in terms of infrastructure caused by the neglect they suffered in past administrations.
The director exhibited images of spaces called “reflection rooms” located in the Tijuana temporary shelter that were used for correction of minors who exhibited “certain behaviors.”
The director said since current governor’s administration started she has inspected the facilities in Mexicali and Tijuana where the anomalies were detected.
Fabela Dávalos said 37 cases of minors who fled the Mexicali shelter have been recorded. These cases were reported to the State Attorney General’s Office, whose agents were tasked with locating the minors.
Most of the fugitive minors have been located and reintegrated with a suitable relative, she said.
As a result of the COVID-19 health emergency, the workforce has been affected, Fabela Dávalos said. Tijuana’s shelter staff went from 161 to 126 employees while Mexicali’s went from 131 to 97.
Fabela Dávalos said the agency has taken actions to safeguard the physical and psychological integrity of each minor who is admitted to temporary shelters, including the hiring of security personnel and the installation of surveillance cameras.
Woman arrested for fraud
Police with the State Attorney General’s Office recently apprehended a woman wanted for fraud.
The agency said the warrant for Brenda “N” was issued in January 2017.
According to the complaint, on Nov. 30, 2016, the suspect arrived at a vehicle rental company to rent a 2015 Suburban GMC with Baja California plates. The rental agreement was for one month.
However, instead of returning the vehicle, she reportedly subleased it to a third party, who eventually pawned it.
Murder suspect apprehended
State agents detained Miguel Ángel “Doe,” who was sought by Veracruz authorities for the murder of his girlfriend and injuring another woman.
The State Attorney General’s Office said the suspect has been linked to the death of 16-year-old Melissa Hernández Martínez, which was killed in May 2013. Additionally, the suspect is believed to have seriously injured his sister-in-law.
During the investigation, detectives reportedly learned the suspect had fled to Mexicali. Veracruz authorities requested support of the Baja California Prosecutor’s Office.
Agents of the State Security and Investigation Guard began an investigation that led to finding the suspect’s whereabouts.
State Attorney General’s Office personnel handed Miguel Ángel over to the investigating agents of Veracruz.
Governor criticizes port of entry restrictions
Baja California Gov. Jaime Bonilla called “regrettable” the decision of the Mexican Department of Foreign Relations to extend the period of non-essential crossings to the United States for another month.
Bonilla said the decision does not benefit the United States.
“I think it is a political decision rather than an economic one,” he said.
The governor considered the contagion of COVID-19 is greater in the United States than in Mexico.
Regarding the possible effects on Baja California from “non-essential crossings,” Bonilla added, “I see few effects on Baja California (as) people do not cross to purchase and buy here.”
The governor said the restrictions just make family gatherings difficult if Mexicans living in Baja California have relatives living in the United States.