Select Dates. For him, the bust was an unfortunate necessity that put a halt to their goals of a much larger bust of key players. Thompson was sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole, but a change in sentencing guidelines led to his eventual release in April of 2018. The drug lord known as El Zorro de Ojinaga (The Ojinaga Fox) was a mentor to Chambers and played a significant role as The Plaza who controlled all drug movement through the region into the U.S. Acosta, who was gunned down in 1987 by Mexican federales (with the assistance of the FBI) is featured in the recent Narcos Mexico series and the book Drug Lord, by former El Paso Times reporter Terrance Poppa. The Presidio County Sheriff's Office county jail, as of now, houses not more than 25 inmates. Visit VINELink.com to check the custody status of your Offender Visit MissingKids.com for information on missing Texas Children . The two kept a tight rein on who knew what in their investigation when it became apparent that Sheriff Rick Thompson might be involved with Robert Chambers. Seaside Police Department. Chambers also was involved in several gun battles on the border, saved six hunters from a fiery plane crash in the desert, and was shot three times in the back in an assassination attempt on a Mexican fishing boat. The Sheriff's Office is responsible for patrolling any unincorporated areas of the county or areas not covered by the municipal . 320 N. Highland Avenue Marfa, Texas 79843. . The life sentence of former Presidio County Sheriff Rick Thompson for a federal drug trafficking conviction has been reduced to 30 years. EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) - An alleged smuggling attempt ended in a plane crash North of the Presidio International Airport on Thursday. The Presidio County Jail & Sheriff, located in Marfa, TX, is a secure facility that houses inmates. In Texas, Presidio County is ranked 33rd of 254 counties in Sheriff Departments per capita, and 232nd of 254 counties in Sheriff Departments per square mile. He attended school in Alpine, Texas, where he later bought a ranch. Former Presidio County Sheriff Rick Thompson MARFA As the town slept fitfully late Dec. 3, 1991, its single traffic light blinking out a perfect pulse, shadowy figures moved through the streets, while others lurked on the outskirts. The sheriff who had been a media darling in the war on drugs was later arrested,charged with drug trafficking, and sentenced to life in prison. (The name, Presidio, thus is a working title.) In the predawn hours of Dec. 3, 1991, a few miles from the border town of Presidio, federal agents said that a pickup truck with more than a ton of cocaine had forded the Rio Grande. The project is a result of more than three years of research on the Sheriff Thompson case and interviews with dozens of sources. Many people felt that no matter what hed plead guilty, life is too much. High winds out west are the cause. Presidio County Commissioners and Sheriff Danny Dominguez are still working on reopening the Presidio County Jail, which closed a couple years ago because of management and budget issues. Sheriff Danny Dominguez. Those agents, it later turned out, had been tipped off by an informant. Presidio County Sheriff Secretary Shanna Elmore chimed in to voice her support for a longevity pay system after a brief discussion on whether incentives should be based on cumulative service to the county for employees who leave their positions and come back or consecutive years of service. And he gained notoriety for breaking a man accused of rape in the U.S. out of a Mexican prison, dragging him back across the border and tying him to a tree naked for the local authorities to find. Drawer V Marfa, TX 79843 Phone: (432) 729-4308 Hours: Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Joel Nunez, Chief Deputy Presidio County Sheriff's Office 320 N. Highland Ave. McNamara, now 82, lives in Oregon with his wife. While the police in the cities and towns in Presidio County can arrest and detain offenders, the Presidio County Jail & Sheriff is the facility that is accredited by Texas to hold inmates for more . You have to remind yourself it was in the early days of the war on drugs where everybody believed you could send a strong message and make drugs not be prevalent in American life.. Create your own unique website with customizable templates. Sheriff Presidio County Badge - In the 1959 western Rio Bravo, John T. Chance is the rough and tumble Sheriff of a lawless Texas border town. Visit VINELink.com to check the custody status of your Offender. Stinson, now 74, lives in Colorado and is writing about his experiences. As the cocaine smuggling route changed from Florida to West Texas, Stinson took an assignment in Alpine and began investigating Robert Chambers with the intention of following his drug distribution to higher levels across the U.S. Stinson and his co-investigator, Kelly Cook with U.S. Customs, cultivated a key informant (Sam Thomas) who turned on Chambers and led agents to the cocaine Thompson stored in the horse trailer at the Presidio County Fairgrounds. Looking for a specific item? The next day, Rodgers described in arrest records as a "hunting outfitter" turned himself in at the Presidio County Sheriff's Office in Marfa, records state. The iconic lawman was once a symbol of the "War on Drugs.". CHIEF OF POLICE BIO. That trailer had been forfeited to the sheriffs office in a previous case. The quantity was real big, it was a lot of cocaine, says Liz Rogers, former Assistant U.S. Attorney in El Paso and current criminal defense lawyer. He quickly worked his way up to a key operator in smuggling drugs into the U.S. and after Acostas death, he even held the title of The Plaza (the kingpin who controlled all drug movement through Ojinaga)a strange position for an American. Now 73, he lives in Midland, Texas with his wife, and remains close to his two sons and daughter. Box 789. Texans may have noticed dusty skies over the last few days. Sheriff RICK THOMPSON, Presidio County: [1988 Customs public service announcement] Another drug smuggler makes his way to the state penitentiary. Presidio County Courthouse 300 Highland St. Marfa, TX 79843. While the podcast features numerous sources, here are a few of the main players in the story. So it was really, really a harsh sentence for someone going up on a guilty plea, Rogers says. The life sentence of former Presidio County Sheriff Rick Thompson for a federal drug trafficking conviction has been reduced to 30 years. Marfa, Texas 79843. P. O. Pregnant, On the Streets, and Looking For a Home, I Was Wondering If He Died Because of Me and That Day, Hear From A Texas Teenager Who Lost His Memory, A Virus Called Uncontrollable in Brazil Could be Coming to Texas. Joel Nuez, JR. graduated from Presidio High School in 1994 and is a native of Presidio, Texas. He took the office after his predecessor, Sheriff Hank Hamilton, was gunned down in 1973 by a mentally unstable man. The Presidio County Sheriff's Office county Jail is the main correctional facility in Presidio county, Texas. Chambers, now 65, was quick to cooperate with federal officials and only served 13 years of a life sentence. Charge: Warrant Service- Ector County, Name: Nixon, Asa, Date of Arrest: 10/23/20, Charge: Possession of Exotic Animal Carcass without Land Owner Consent, Name: Rodgers, William, Date of Arrest: 10/24/20, Charge: Possession of Exotic Animal Carcass without Land Owner Consent, Name: Wilder, Bowen, Date of Arrest: 10/27/20, Charge: Driving While Intoxicated with Open Container, Name: Armendariz, Arcellia, Date of Arrest: 10/28/20, Charge: Driving While License Invalid with Previous Conviction, Name: Halilovic, Erma, Date of Arrest: 10/30/20, Charge: Driving While Intoxicated, Name: Hale, David, Date of Arrest: 10/30/20, Charge: Warrant Service- Tarrant County, Name: Morales, Francisco, Date of Arrest: 11/02/20, Charge: Warrant Service- El Paso County, Name: Baeza, Gloria, Date of Arrest: 11/03/20, Charge: Theft of Property, Name: Baeza, Dario, Date of Arrest: 11/03/20, Charge: Theft of Property, Name: Martinez-Aguellez, Sergio, Date of Arrest: 11/04/20, Charge: Delivery of Marijuana, Name: Valenzuela, Adrian, Date of Arrest: 11/05/20, Charge: Warrant Service- Lynn County, Name: Bange, Magdolin, Date of Arrest: 11/07/20, Charge: Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Name: Avila, Mervin, Date of Arrest: 11/07/20, Charge: Assault, Name: Solis, Baldemar Jr., Date of Arrest: 11/08/20, Charge: Assault, Name: Avila, Maria, Date of Arrest: 11/10/20, Charge: Driving While Intoxicated, Name: Hernandez, Edmundo Jr., Date of Arrest: 11/10/20, Charge: Parole Violation, Name: Romero-Ibanez, Angel, Date of Arrest: 11/20/20, Charge: Possession of Marijuana, Possession of Controlled Substance, Name: Bugos, Andrew, Date of Arrest: 11/20/20, Charge: Criminal Trespass, Name: Cain, Shea, Date of Arrest: 11/23/20, Charge: Possession of Marijuana, Name: Moya-Tentory, Alice Christopher, Date of Arrest: 11/23/20, Charge: Possession of Marijuana, Name: Sorohan, Eoin, Date of Arrest: 11/25/20, Charge: Possession of Marijuana, Name: Enriquez, Juan, Date of Arrest: 11/26/20, Charge: Possession of Marijuana, Name: Salazar, Jose Jr., Date of Arrest: 11/27/20, Charge: Terroristic Threat Family/Household Member, Name: Ledezma, Reyes, Date of Arrest: 11/29/20, Charge: Driving While License Invalid, Name: Tavarez, Pedro, Date of Arrest: 12/01/20, Charge: Parole Violation, Name: Estrada, Alicia, Date of Arrest: 12/05/20, Charge: Driving While Intoxicated with Open Container, Name: Vasquez, Saul, Date of Arrest: 12/06/20, Charge: Striking Unattended Vehicle, Name: Aranda-Lujan, Omega, Date of Arrest: 12/08/20, Charge: Assault, Burglary of a Building, Name: Smith, Brandon, Date of Arrest: 12/11/20, Charge: Failure to Identify Fugitive, Intent to Give False Information, Resisting Arrest, Search or Transport, Name: Baeza, Saul, Date of Arrest: 12/17/20, Charge: Assault Family Member, Injury to a Child/Elderly/Disabled, Name: Valenzuela, Gustavo, Date of Arrest: 12/18/20, Charge: Duty Striking Unattended Vehicle, Name: Garcia, Rito, Date of Arrest: 12/20/20, Charge: Driving While License Invalid, Name: Dausman, Kyle, Date of Arrest: 12/20/20, Charge: Possession of Marijuana, Possession of Controlled Substance, Unlawful Carrying of a Weapon, Name: Brackman, Aislinn, Date of Arrest: 12/21/20, Charge: Possession of Marijuana, Unlawful Carrying of a Weapon, Name: Buckner, Seth, Date of Arrest: 12/24/20, Charge: Unlawful Carrying of a Weapon, Name: Sanchez, Janita, Date of Arrest: 12/27/20, Charge: Driving While License Invalid, Possession of Controlled Substance, Name: White, Jarrod, Date of Arrest: 12/28/20, Charge: Possession of Marijuana, Prohibited Weapon, Name: Hernandez, Juan, Date of Arrest: 12/28/20, Charge: Unauthorized Use of Motor Vehicle, Name: Rodriguez, Marisol, Date of Arrest: 12/28/20, Charge: Unauthorized Use of Motor Vehicle, Name: Barriga, Selena, Date of Arrest: 12/28/20, Charge: Unauthorized Use of Motor Vehicle, Name: Hernandez, Eugenio, Date of Arrest: 12/28/20, Charge: Unauthorized Use of Motor Vehicle. 105 E Hackberry St. Sanderson, TX 79848. A WWII veteran, Sheriff Morrow had . We pay for all training and certifications to be obtained. Peters attempted to smuggle five undocumented immigrants into the U.S. using a small plane. In the predawn hours of Dec. 3, 1991 a few miles from the border town of Presidio, federal agents said that a pickup truck with more than a ton of cocaine had forded the Rio Grande. According to the Presidio County Sheriff's Office, the plane crashed north of the Presidio International Airport, located near the U.S.-Mexico border, KVIA-TV reported. He also was the first to question the close relationship Chambers had with Thompson. 432-729-4308 | P.O. Thompson had been Presidio County sheriff for 15 years, and at the time of his arrest was director of the West Texas Multi-County Narcotics Task Force. contact Presidio County Sheriff's office Sheriff's Office Non-Emergency Lines: (432)-729-4308 (432)-729-4911 (432)-729-3002 Answered 24 hours a day 911 Emergency Services . Each of them also works as dispatchers, a dual-hatted arrangement by the facility . First to Review. The Presidio County Sheriff's Office will continue to investigate this incident pending the results of the autopsy and the Mexican Consulate has been told to attempt to find the next of kin. The Jeff Davis County tax assessor-collector, Sheriff Bill Kitts, and his office temporarily stepped in to assist Valentine ISD this winter after they were left without an in-house tax assessor-collector in . But she notes he did something else that often staves off a life sentence, especially for a first time offender. July 14, 2021 1151 AM. How to reach us. Presidio County Jail & Sheriff 320 N. Highland PO Box V Marfa, TX 79843 (432) 729-4308. Cruz Faces Questions About Birth Certificate, Election Loans, NASA Selects Commercial Space Companies To Resupply Space Station, In a Central Texas county, high schoolers are jailed on felony charges for vaping what could be legal hemp, UT System pauses new diversity, equity and inclusion policies at its campuses. A plane smuggling migrants crashed near Presidio, Texas, and police are looking for the pilot. Sheriff Presidio County Badge. She says Thompsons status as a law enforcement official is the key reason that he was sentenced tolife. If you have any information on this or any other illegal activity in Presidio County, please contact the Presidio County Sheriff's office at 432-729-4848 or 432-729-4911. Put a halt to their goals of a much larger bust of key players we pay for training! The bust was an unfortunate necessity that put a halt to their goals of a life sentence former! 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