Ex-Border Patrol agents go to prison this afternoon

Iolmisha

Ex-Border Patrol agents go to prison this afternoon
 By Louie Gilot / El Paso Times
El Paso Times
Article Launched:01/ 17/2007 12:00:00 AM MST
A federal judge ended the last hope two former Border patrol agents had to avoid going to prison today when she ruled Tuesday evening to deny their motion to remain free on bond until their appeals.
U.S. District Judge Kathleen Cardone found that no exceptional circumstances in the case would warrant bond pending appeal for Ignacio Ramos and Jose Alonso Compean, court documents showed.
She also denied a motion by Ramos to extend the date of his voluntary surrender by one month.
Ramos and Compean are to surrender to U.S. marshals at 2 p.m. today.
For their security, the former agents will not serve their time in the El Paso area, a standard practice for law enforcement officers .
Ramos' lawyer, Mary Stillinger, did not want to say which federal prison the agents were assigned to.
She said they might have to spend several weeks at the El Paso County Jail before being transported to a federal prison.
Both men are married and have young children.
Judges usually deny bond requests on long sentences because of flight risk, legal experts said.
"Normally that means flight to Mexico. And it happens for drug dealers who have protection in Mexico," Stillinger said. "Mr. Ramos does not have protection in Mexico. As a matter of fact, Mr. Aldrete Davila's friends might be looking for him."
Osvaldo Aldrete Davila is the drug smuggler whom Ramos and Compean shot in the buttocks in 2005 near Fabens, when he was fleeing back to Mexico after a chase.
Ramos and Compean were convicted by a jury of violating Aldrete Davila's civil rights and of tampering with evidence for not reporting the shooting and for picking up shell casings.
Ramos was convicted to 11 years in prison and Compean to 12 years in prison, partly due to a 10-year mandatory sentence for using a weapon in the commission of their crime.
The Ramos and Compean families could not be reached Tuesday.
The case attracted national attention and the support of conservative groups and elected officials who have asked President Bush for a pardon.
White House Press Secretary Tony Snow, at a news conference last month, declined to comment on a possible pardon.
Louie Gilot may be reached at lgilot@elpasotimes. com <http://us.f305.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=lgilot%40elpasotimes.com> ; 546-6131.
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