Border agents rescue girl, 11, separated from crossers
Border Patrol agents rescued an 11-year-old Honduran girl Wednesday who had spent a night alone in the mountains south of Sierra Vista.
The girl became separated from a group of illegal immigrants Tuesday evening when agents approached the group near Hunter Canyon, located south of Sierra Vista, said Border Patrol spokeswoman Colleen Agle.
The girl's 8-year-old sister, who was among those apprehended, told agents that her sister was missing. The agency launched a search of the area.
Agents located the girl alone about 11:30 a.m., Agle said. She was in good condition despite spending the night alone. The smuggler who was leading the group also got away, Agle said.
Agents reunited the girl with her younger sister at the agency's Naco station and then transferred them to the Office of Refugee Resettlement in Phoenix, where arrangements will be made to reunite them with their parents or return them to Honduras. The Honduran consulate was also notified.
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Brady McCombs
FBI believes pair robbed Marana bank, 11 others
A two-man crew has been holding up rural banks throughout the Southwest over the past five months, including one in Marana, according to the FBI.
The two, dubbed the "High Country Bandits" by the FBI, are believed to be responsible for at least 12 heists in Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico between September and earlier this month, according to an agency news release.
The Marana robbery happened Dec. 15 at the Wells Fargo branch on the corner of North Dove Mountain Boulevard and West Tangerine Road, according to the release.
The men are described as being in their 30s or 40s, with one between 5-foot-3 and 5-foot-6 and the other around 6 feet. They have been seen making their getaways in an all-terrain vehicle.
Anyone with information is encouraged to contact their nearest FBI office or call the Phoenix office at 1-602-279-5511.
Brian J. Pedersen
Man faces up to 36 years for killing, robbery try
A 23-year-old man is facing somewhere between seven and 36 years in prison after pleading guilty Wednesday to manslaughter and attempted armed robbery, said Deputy Pima County Attorney Victoria Otto.
Steve Flores will be sentenced April 12 by Pima County Superior Court Judge Christopher Browning.
Flores and Raymond Martinez, 18, were attempting to rob the Grand Market in the 6200 block of South Sixth Avenue on Jan. 27, 2009, when an employee shot and killed Martinez, Tucson police said.
Flores fled, but later turned himself in. He was originally facing a first-degree murder charge under the felony murder rule, which allows prosecutors to charge people with murder if someone dies during the commission of certain felonies, including robbery.
Kim Smith
6 suffer smoke inhalation in mobile-home blaze
Six people, including five children, were taken to a hospital Thursday after a fire burned a mobile home south of Tucson.
An electrical issue in the bathroom was blamed for the blaze, which was reported just after 8 a.m. in the 9900 block of South Oak Canyon Lane, near South Nogales Highway and East Old Vail Connection Road, said Anne-Marie Braswell, a Rural/Metro Fire Department spokeswoman.
Five children and an adult at the home suffered smoke inhalation, Braswell said.
Brian J. Pedersen
Female crosser was victim of homicide, coroner says
A suspected illegal immigrant found dead alongside a highway near St. David was the victim of a homicide, authorities said.
The Cochise County Medical Examiner's Office determined that the woman, a 33-year-old Mexican national, died no more than 48 hours before she was found Feb. 8 in some brush near milepost 308 on Arizona 80, Cochise County Sheriff's Department spokeswoman Carol Capas said.
The woman, whose identity is not being released until after the Mexican consulate notifies her next of kin, is believed to have been dumped along the road and then dragged into the brush, Capas said.
Brian J. Pedersen
On StarNet: Find an interactive map of reported crimes in the City of Tucson, updated every morning with the previous day's data, at go.azstarnet.com/crime
