Sheriff’s office continues to strengthen relationship with Mexican authorities

The collaboration between law enforcement agencies in Imperial County and Mexicali put a man accused of identity theft and fraud behind bars.

The Imperial County Sheriff’s Office (ICSO) worked with Mexican liaison authorities to find and arrest Jose Roberto Rodriguez, 31.

Rodriguez, an El Centro resident, allegedly had skipped bail and fled into Mexico.

At the time of his detention Rodriguez had multiple forged identification cards, credit cards and forgery equipment. According to authorities the suspect had multiple charges with the El Centro Police Department including possession of stolen property.

Sergeant Jorge Cabanillas with ICSO says it is critical to maintain a relationship with authorities on the other side of the border.

“We’ve had really good results with this partnership that we’ve developed and it’s been going on for a long time with the sheriff’s office. It’s a historical unit that regularly maintains and develops these relationships because of where we are we have to maintain good relationships with all of our neighbors,” said Sgt. Jorge Cabanillas.

Cabanillas says the unit also assists victims of crimes on both sides of the border by putting them in contact with different agencies and resources available to them.