Convicted Cop Assailant Busted near Scene of Border Patrol Agent’s Potential Murder

Federal authorities arrested a man from Mexico with an extensive criminal history, including attacking a Texas cop while in the country illegally. The capture occurred near the area where a U.S. Border Patrol agent was allegedly murdered and another agent was attacked in November.

The arrest took place last week when U.S. Border Patrol agents near Presidio, Texas, found 60-year-old Eliseo Franco Ornelas along with three other men who had illegally entered the country, according to information released by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Once the men were taken to the station in Van Horn, agents fingerprinted Ornelas and as part of processing him, discovered a lengthy criminal history. Authorities were able to confirm that the man in custody spent 15-years in prison for on the charge of aggravated assault of a peace officer. Authorities took Ornelas to a detention center and was charged with felony re-entry.

“This is another high-profile arrest that stresses the importance of technology, combined with adequate numbers of agents and infrastructure,” Big Bend Sector Chief Patrol Agent Robert Boatright said in a prepared statement. “Our agents fully understand our role in securing our nation’s homeland.”

The area where agents arrested Ornelas is not far from where a U.S. Border Patrol agent was killed and another seriously hurt in a case that remains under investigation, but the FBI in court documents has labeled it a murder and an assault on a federal agents, Breitbart Texas reported.

Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart Texas. He co-founded the Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and Stephen K. Bannon.  You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at Iortiz@breitbart.com.

Brandon Darby is managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded the Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and Stephen K. Bannon. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at bdarby@breitbart.com.