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Old 05-06-2011, 01:27 PM
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Jeanfromfillmore Jeanfromfillmore is offline
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Default BANNING: Border Patrol agent charged with molesting woman

BANNING: Border Patrol agent charged with molesting woman
A U.S. Border Patrol agent was arrested Thursday morning on suspicion of molesting a Mexican national whom he stopped and interrogated as she was walking down a Banning street.
Arturo H. Ascencio, 39, of Hemet, was arrested by Banning police and the Riverside County Sexual Assault Felony Enforcement Team at his home about 11 a.m.
Felony charges of kidnapping and sexual battery were filed Wednesday by the Riverside County district attorney's office.
In August 2008, Ascencio stopped a woman who was walking along Florida Street near a child care center, according to a sworn affidavit in support of an arrest warrant.
The woman told authorities he showed her a badge and asked her if she recognized pictures of a "drugged out" woman. When she said no, he told her to get in his pickup, which she did out of intimidation, the affidavit states.
Inside the pickup, she said she saw a pistol, Ascencio drove her to a church parking lot, where he asked her to roll up her pant legs to look for tattoos, the affidavit said.
She said he grabbed her breasts and told her to pull down her shirt. He then let her go, the affidavit states.
The woman, who is in the United States on a temporary visa, was able to identify Ascencio through a photo lineup.
The woman's name and age were not released.
Ascencio was booked Thursday at Robert Presley Detention Center in Riverside, where bail was set at $100,000.
The Border Patrol suspended Ascencio indefinitely without pay, pending the outcome of the criminal charges, said Adrian Corona, supervisory Border Patrol agent with the El Centro sector that patrols the Coachella Valley and Imperial County.
"Like anyone else in law enforcement, we're held to a higher standard," Corona said. "The same laws apply to us and we'll cooperate to see what the facts are."
POLICE SUSPICIOUS
Banning police began investigating Ascencio after witnessing him make a traffic stop that was considered suspicious in August 2009.
A Banning officer spotted a white Ford pickup with lights and sirens pull over a woman in a Ford Expedition. Ascencio was wearing a T-shirt and baseball cap, with no weapon or badge, which police said is not typical for making a traffic stop.
The officer suspected Ascencio might be impersonating a police officer, but when he traced the license plate, it showed the vehicle belonged to a Border Patrol agent.
Ascencio let the woman go and told the Banning officer he pulled her over because the SUV may have been used in smuggling, according to the affidavit.
The situation struck a chord with another Banning officer, who recalled a report from a year ago from a woman who said she was intimidated by a man claiming to be a law officer, Police Chief Leonard Purvis said.
Police tracked down that woman a month later, which is when she told them that Ascencio had molested her in August 2008.
She told them that before he let her go, he asked for her phone number. He called her several times in the following weeks, identifying himself as an immigration agent, and asked her to cooperate with an investigation.
He eventually asked her to meet him. The woman's daughter suggested they meet at the Banning police station, the affidavit states. He didn't show up.
While she was outside the station, she spoke to a police officer about the person she was waiting for, but did not mention anything about being sexually assaulted.
COMMUNITY ANGER
News of the case drew ire Thursday from some members of the Banning community.
Al Lopez, director of the San Gorgonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, said the incident showed discrimination and racial profiling by officers preying on immigrants.
"They feel they can take it in their own hands and do what they want to," Lopez said. "They have no limits. They have to respect the law, do things different. There are certain steps everyone has to take."
Border Patrol officials said allegations against one agent shouldn't reflect on the entire department.
"We have the highest integrity to do our job and can't let one agent be what's thought of the Border Patrol," Corona said. "The majority of our workforce are very hard-working and dedicated to the law."
http://www.pe.com/localnews/stories/...6.3b6547a.html
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