A 28-year-old burglary suspect arrested last week missed his preliminary court hearing Monday morning.
That's because he had been mistakenly deported to Mexico.
Luis Garcia-Villegas accepted a voluntary return to Mexico on Sept. 17, according to Vincent Picard, a spokesman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Normally such suspects "are not given that option if they are facing criminal charges," Picard said.
But officials at the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, acting on behalf of ICE, were not aware of the charges Garcia-Villegas faced, Picard said. A Sheriff's Office spokesman said no Sheriff's office procedures were violated.
Authorities from the County Attorney's office were investigating why Garcia-Villegas was mistakenly deported.
Police originally arrested Garcia-Villegas along with another man and a 17-year-old boy on Sept. 15. The three were arrested on suspicion of burglarizing the La Bodega furniture store in south Phoenix.
A neighboring business owner called the police after he spotted intruders around 2 a.m. loading furniture from the store into a stolen vehicle.
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/09/26/20080926abrk-suspectdeported0926-ON.html
Duh . . .good luck getting him back.
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