Alleged abduction attempt leads to arrests of 16 residents allegedly in country illegally

Alleged abduction attempt leads to arrests of 16 residents allegedly in country illegally
By MARK MARONEY

Within hours of a Mexican man living here illegally trying to abduct a local 12-year-old girl, law enforcement officers scooped up 15 other Mexicans boarding at two city apartment complexes and working for a company that does surveying for the natural gas industry, federal and local authorities said Friday.

One of those men, Adrian Arriaga Castro, 27, of 345 W. Third St. faces charges of allegedly luring a child into a motor vehicle and harassment, according to an affidavit by Patrolman Marlin L. Smith II.

Castro's arrest and the detainment of the other Mexicans occurred when Smith responded shortly after 11 p.m. Thursday to a call about a girl being lured into a truck by a Hispanic man, police said.

Smith responded to the parking lot across from the River Valley YMCA in the 300 block of Elmira Street, after getting a call about a parent who has seen her 12-year-old daughter in a pickup truck with a man.

Smith spoke with the woman and her daughter and asked where the truck was at, and the girl and woman pointed toward a truck bearing a Texas license plate. The girl informed the officer that was the truck she was in. A records checked showed police the truck was registered to Castro of Houston, Texas.

The girl then told the officer she had seen the man before and waived to him. She also said she knew where the man lived, police said.

Castro had allegedly pulled his truck near her and opened the passenger's side door and began to speak in Spanish to her while gesturing for her to get into the vehicle, police said.

The girl said she got into the truck and that Castro allegedly began to talk to her, calling her "pretty," police said. The girl said Castro began to rub her arm, according to the affidavit. The girl told police she got out of the truck as her mother arrived and Castro ran in the direction of 345 W. Third St.

The girl then told police the direction he ran and police investigated the building.

The girl pointed toward Castro as the man who lured her into the vehicle, police said.

Castro was arraigned Friday morning about an hour before city police and officials with U.S. Immigration Customs and Enforcement, an arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, raided the apartment in the 300 block of Elmira Street, police said. Castro was committed to the County Prison in lieu of $100,000 bail. Castro and a second man boarding at the apartments, Leoncio Rodriguez Monsivars, 23, were sought on federal immigration detainers issued by an agent from Miami, Fla., police said.

Castro is a Mexican national with no papers to prove he is in this country legally, according to police spokesman Capt. Raymond O. Kontz III. Through the investigation, police determined there were other men in the apartments boarding there without proof of citizenship who later indicated they worked for a gas company that does surveying in the area, Kontz said.

About 5:30 a.m. the operation to round up the immigrant workers commenced. Two vans carrying immigration agents took the men into custody without incident, Kontz said.

Officials with the U.S. Attorney's office in the Middle District confirmed to the Sun-Gazette the processing of the alleged illegals had not taken place Friday and they didn't know whether it would or when it would happen.

"ICE scoops them up, detains them and calls us if they want," an attorney with the court said. Attempts to reach ICE at its public law enforcement support center also were unsuccessful.

However, police identified the owner of the apartments who was leasing to the gas company as Enrique Castillo, 31, of 309 Elmira St.

The gas company was identified by police at GPX Surveyors of Texas. A GPX spokesman hung up the telephone when reached by the Sun-Gazette.

Castillo told the Sun-Gazette in a telephone interview he was not aware that illegal immigrants were renting the apartments. He leased to the gas company and trusted them, he said.

"They bring whoever they want," Castillo said. "The police were just doing their job. I don't know the whole situation. I am not for illegal aliens living here. I have been buying old buildings and fixing them up and have good relations with the city."

Castillo said he began leasing apartments about seven years ago and claims the gas company lease was signed about two months ago.

The apartments where the men were living were two- and three-bedroom units. The gas company was paying between $1,500 and $2,000 a month for the building lease and was on time with payments, he said.

City leaders are not happy about the alleged illegal aliens living in the city.

"This is an example of the illegal aliens exploring whether they can move into Williamsport," said Mayor Gabriel J. Campana.

Campana was joined by city Police Chief Gregory A. Foresman and Kontz for a brief statement inside City Hall following the arrests.

"I don't want illegal aliens living here and I want the gas industry or any companies to know - whether they are used for labor or living in housing complexes - we will do everything in our power to prevent this," Campana said.

"Landlords working with gas companies need to protect themselves," Kontz said. "It is the responsibility of the companies to ensure individuals they hire are legal citizens." But the landlords need to do a better job of knowing who is residing on their properties, he added.

Campana said he will be informing U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta, R-Hazleton, of the situation. Barletta, a fellow Republican, has had experience with problems associated with illegal aliens from his years as mayor of Hazleton.

"We don't want Williamsport to undergo the Hazleton dilemma," Foresman said. "Gas companies better make sure they do the proper background checks and anyone with suspicious backgrounds should not be hired."