Weekly Rewind: Human smuggler, body found in canal, blowtorch child abuse, border breach
Rewind the week to catch up on anything you may have missed
DESERT SOUTHWEST (KYMA, KECY) - The Mexicali man accused of orchestrating a massive human smuggling operation that led to the death of 13 people in Holtville will be back in court next month.
In case you missed it, a fully-loaded gravel truck t-boned an overloaded Ford Expedition. Not including the driver, the car was loaded with 24 passengers. A dozen more were injured, including teenagers, some as young as 16.
47-year-old Jose Cruz Noguez is allegedly tied to the deadly crash that injured 12 others after an SUV and gravel truck collided back in March, the driver of the truck was also injured.
Noguez was scheduled to appear in federal court in San Diego this month, but the prosecution asked for more time. Noguez is facing two federal charges tied to the incident.
Just over 40 miles north of the crash site, Imperial County Sheriff's Office recovered a body from the Coachella Canal near Slab City.
The individual was later identified as Tommi-Deane Jackson, originally from Nashville, Tennessee.
Deputies have ruled Jackson's death as a homicide and requests the public's help for their assistance. If you have any information on this case, contact the ICSO at (442) 265-2052.
In the neighboring county, a five-year-old Yuma boy was flown to a Phoenix hospital in an effort to recover from a horrific crime.
Court records reveal two adults allegedly burned the child with a blow torch.
They now face criminal charges in connection with the case. According to court documents, the child was abused between January to May of this year.
A local safe haven, Amberly’s Place, says it's crucial to report any suspicion of child abuse. Reporting is completely anonymous and allows authorities to investigate. Abuse victims need the community’s help to speak up.
The little boy is in serious, but stable condition. Everyone's thoughts and prayers are with this innocent child.
Last but not least, a viral video circulating on Facebook reveals a group of non-citizens rushing through the gatehouse entrance from Mexico into San Luis, Arizona.
Brenda Lee, a witness traveling to Mexico with her boyfriend, captured the border breach.
She told CBS13's Cody Lee, that, "the large group started running through the Gatehouse [Entrance] into the United States." Thinking quickly, she pulled out her phone and recorded everything she could.
Footage shows the illegally-present individuals going in between cars and doing whatever they can to not get caught. At one point an officer was able to tackle a man down to the ground.
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) confirmed that officers made multiple arrests. According to CBP, approximately 30 individuals ran through the border entry into the U.S.
CBP eventually suspended port operations, but resumed the next day under heightened alert with reduced lanes.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Imperial and Yuma Counties respectively have populations of about 180,000 and 214,000 people.
With regard to those figures, approximately 14.5% of Imperialites have been diagnosed with the coronavirus, while 17.4% of Yumans on average tested positive for COVID-19.
Both California and Arizona continue to hit vaccination milestones. Over 38.4 million vaccines have been administered in the Golden State. Whereas, Arizona surpasses 6 million coronavirus vaccinations.
