Odessan arrested at border
Official: Man accused of kidnapping
EL PASO An Odessa man remained in custody Thursday after being arrested on charges of international parental kidnapping and extortion at the United States-Mexico border here.
Hugo Aguilera Jimenez, 46, was entering the United States from Mexico when U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents detained him because he was being sought by the FBI, a news release said.
His 3-year-old daughter had still not been returned to her mother — Jimenez’s former common-law wife in Odessa — as of press time, but Midland FBI supervisory agent Bill Vanderland said the child was expected to be home soon.
“With (Jimenez) out of the way, we didn’t anticipate any issues getting the child back from Mexico,” Vanderland said.
Meanwhile, Jimenez was being kept at an El Paso detention facility, but Vanderland didn’t know which one. Thursday afternoon, Jimenez waited transportation back to Odessa to face charges.
Jimenez is accused of taking his daughter from his former common-law wife after a visit with the child, then trying to extort money to ensure the safe return of the child, Vanderland said.
