Foreign Fugitives Delaying Justice

Two years ago today, a little girl in West Chester was left parentless. Her mom bled to death from stab wounds. Her dad, accused of being the killer, went on the run.

That sad scenario helps motivate Detective Lori Beiser to keep chipping away at a seemingly impossible task: finding a foreign fugitive who could be anywhere in the world, using virtually any name.

“I keep thinking about getting justice for the little girl – and for Jackelin,” Beiser said.

The girl’s mother, Jackelin Romero, 24, suffered more than 20 stab wounds on Sept. 23, 2006. She lay undiscovered while relatives, caring for her 5-year-old daughter, filed a missing-persons report. The next day, police found Romero dead in her bedroom at the Trails of West Chester apartments.

Romero’s husband, Melvin Ramon Mejia, a native of Honduras, fled as West Chester police were charging him with murder.

“He headed south – and he was gone,” Beiser said.

Local authorities say Mejia is among a rising number of fugitives who are believed to be hiding in foreign countries to dodge prosecution. The charges they face range from theft to rape to murder. Some are foreign-born suspects who return to their homelands. A few are U.S. citizens who reinvented their lives abroad under assumed names.

Most stand little chance of being captured.

Bail For Sexual Crimes Questioned

When suspected rapist Juan Carlos Jimenez, 20, posted bail last week, it invoked an emotional reaction of dismay, shock and disappointment. Jimenez, a suspected gang member who allegedly sodomized and sexually assaulted an 86-year-old woman, poses a potential flight risk and a threat to the community by the nature of his activities. It's reasonable to ask why he was granted a reduction of bail by $15,000.

Surely the severity of the charges merit that a person accused of committing the crimes face a bail amount that more appropriately fits the felony charges. Unfortunately, the bail in this case was reduced from $40,000 to $25,000.

The court is bound by the Eighth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which requires that bail not be excessive. Of course, Jimenez is innocent until proven guilty. However, perhaps the Legislature, which passes laws that mandate the bail schedule, should take another look, especially when other accused criminals with lesser charges have been given much higher bails.
Utah's soft hand in dealing with sexual crimes not only is reflected in the low bail amounts but in the sentences and the state registry that relies heavily on self-reporting of the offenders.

We respect the authority of the judge but do not agree with his decision to reduce the bail as much as he did. It took 11 days for the elderly woman to report the alleged crime because she was terrified. That should stand for something.

While the judicial system worked as it should within the confines of the laws set with the bail schedule and hearing process, it proved that sometimes laws do not necessarily equate to justice. That's why we encourage a review of the state bail schedule in relation to sexual crimes.

Periodically evaluating current laws is a display of good faith on behalf of the public. The Legislature should do so during the next session.

Unfortunately, it will do no good to the community or the victim in this case.

Utah Bounty Hunter is Busy Mom

When you hear the words, “Bounty Hunter,” you might think of vigilantes who operate just below the legal radar to hunt down bad guys. But just how legal is their job in Utah? We take a look at one woman who is cleaning up the streets of the Salt Lake Valley.

Reata Holt is the leader of the bounty hunting team in Utah known as Fox Force. She is a long-haired brunette and mother of seven who has been chasing after criminals for more than 20 years.

Threatened, assaulted and shot at, Reata has devoted her life to catching criminals. Every night begins with a quick look at her files and as soon as she gets her list of warrants; the game is on.

“I don’t look dangerous, so that’s an advantage for me,” says Reata. She says that she can keep a low-key appearance when criminals see her.

“The last thing they’re thinking is that Bounty Hunters are here.”

Bounty Hunters execute warrants on alleged criminals who post bail, but fail to show up in court. They are completely legal, if they do their job correctly.

Each Bounty Hunter has been trained, licensed by the state and registered to carry a gun.

“Things can get pretty violent,” says fellow Bounty Hunter and Fox Force team member, Dave Hendricks. “You never know what you’re walking into.”

Legally speaking, Reata and company are well within their right to break into a home and take someone off to jail. Their only catch is that they have to be absolutely certain that the person that they are looking for is inside the home.

Upon catching a criminal, Fox Force will then turn them into the local authorities in exchange for a few thousand dollars. It’s not your typical evening, but the team wouldn’t have it any other way.

“I’m sure any one of us would take a bullet for the other,” say Bounty Hunter Mark Swensen.

Police generally do not like Bounty Hunters because they say that Bounty Hunters are typical citizens doing police-like work. Some of them argue that Bounty Hunters aren’t trained the way police are.

But the numbers show that Bounty Hunters have a significant impact in the United States. Bounty Hunters catch more than 30,000 bail jumpers per year. That is about 90% of people who jump bail.

“I know this is what I was,” says Reata. “This is what I’m good at. I don’t want to do anything else.”