Authorities have arrested a Bayfield man on suspicion of retaliation against a witness or victim in connection with an assault that occurred April 18 in downtown Durango.
Enrique Vera-Sosa, 27, was arrested Friday by investigators with the Durango Police Department, Bayfield Marshal’s Office and Department of Homeland Security. He was accused of slapping Yulises Hernandez Ruiz, the victim in the assault, four days later with a clear intent to intimidate Hernandez Ruiz, detective Sgt. Deck Shaline said.
Hernandez Ruiz suffered a broken nose, broken rib and laceration to his face after the beating, which began in the alley behind Moe’s Starlight Lounge and moved around the corner to Main Avenue.
“The poor guy still had stitches in his face, and his eyes were swollen shut,” Shaline said about Hernandez Ruiz at the time of the slapping incident on April 22. “Vera-Sosa wasn’t involved in the assault itself, but this is a Class 3 Felony, which is more serious than the second-degree assault.”
Vera-Sosa was booked into the La Plata County jail on $25,000 bail. In addition to the bail, he is under an immigration hold, which means he will not be released, according to Deputy Lucas Harrington at the jail.
Police responded to the assault April 18 in front of El Rancho Tavern. Hernandez Ruiz was later found at Walmart and claimed to have been assaulted, stabbed and robbed by three men. The investigation was complicated, Shaline said, by conflicting witness statements, confusion on Hernandez Ruiz’ part after suffering a head trauma and language difficulties, as the victim speaks only Spanish.
The investigation revealed that no knife was used during the assault, and no money was taken from Ruiz as had originally been thought. It also was reported at the time that Ruiz was loaded into a vehicle by the suspects and driven to Walmart where he was dumped out. The investigation discovered that Ruiz was taken to Walmart by his friends at his request after the assault.
Felony arrest warrants for the actual assault have been issued for Hugo Alberto Villanueva-Solis, 28, and Jaimie Depaz-Hernandez, 33, both of Durango. While both men have been interviewed by the police, they remain at large.
“Depaz-Hernandez was deported to Mexico by the Department of Homeland Security the day after we first questioned him and before we issued a warrant,” Shaline said. “The deportation was due to the issuance of a warrant on an unrelated case.”
Depaz-Hernandez had been repatriated one earlier time, he said, but he could not speak to the details on this deportation because it’s a Homeland Security case.
“It’s unlikely an extradition will be attempted,” Shaline said, “We’re not even sure where he is in Mexico, and this would be on the (District Attorney’s) dime. It would be pretty expensive for an assault case.”
He said Villanueva-Solis has fled the state, and witnesses have told him he may be in Indiana at this time.
Anyone with information in relation to the whereabouts of Villanueva-Solis is asked to call Shaline at 375-4729 or CrimeStoppers at 247-1112.
abutler@durangoherald.com
