| In the interest of speed and timeliness, this story is fed directly from the Associated Press newswire and may contain spelling or grammatical errors. |
Calif. officials put spotlight on fugitives who flee to Mexico
Wednesday August 13, 2003LOS ANGELES (AP) A $100,000 reward and a high-profile lobbying trip to Mexico focused attention Wednesday on the issue of people who commit serious crimes in California and then flee across the border.
Gov. Gray Davis announced the reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the man authorities say committed the April 2002 murder of Los Angeles County sheriff's Deputy David March.
Meanwhile, Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca met with officials from Mexico's attorney general's office in Mexico City to discuss greater cooperation on the extradition of fugitives.
Although the United States and Mexico have an extradition treaty, many of the 150 Mexican nationals wanted by Los Angeles County authorities for murder, rape and other serious crimes are unlikely to be extradited because Mexico's government considers life sentences and death sentences unconstitutional.
Baca has billed his two-day trip as an effort to improve cooperation on foreign prosecutions. He plans to visit a Mexican prison during his stay.
Davis issued the $100,000 reward for clues that could lead investigators to Armando Garcia, also known as Jorge Arroyo Garcia, the lead suspect in the shooting death of March during a traffic stop in Irwindale. March, who was 33, is survived by his wife, Teri, a teenage daughter, Kayla and his parents.
Authorities believe Garcia, a convicted methamphetamine dealer, is hiding in Mexico, but they are powerless to arrest him there.
``Detectives have diligently followed every lead brought to their attention in an effort to bring suspect Garcia to justice,'' Baca said in a statement. ``At this point, all leads have been exhausted.''
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