A man who allegedly committed sexual abuse against a 8-month- old baby was arrested Friday in Tijuana by state police officers, said the Attorney General’s office.
In a press release, authorities said Manuel Ernesto “Doe,” 27, was found and arrested by state Ministerial Police officers and transported him to Mexicali.
The suspect is the victim’s stepfather, authorities said.
A prosecutor with the Sexual Liberty and Family Investigative Unit requested a judge the arrest warrant after receiving a report on June 19 regarding the case.
The baby was transported to Mexicali’s General Hospital with vaginal bleeding.
Doctors checked the baby and determined she was a victim of sexual abuse.
Justice removal pending
The removal of a Justice was requested Thursday by members of the State Assembly, who approved unanimously a resolution demanding the procedure.
Mexico’s Judiciary Council decided to remove Justice Carlos Cataño, who until 2014 was acting Third District Judge, after finding some rulings he made while working for the federal Judiciary Branch regarding the importation of vehicles.
Justice Catani decided to allow importers to get U.S.-made automobiles to Mexico under unclear circumstances.
The Mexican Judiciary Council decided April 6 to penalize Justice Cataño by disallowing him to occupy public office for a decade.
Although the state’s Judiciary Council was noticed regarding the ruling no decision has been made due to an appeal filed by Justice Cataño.
Assemblyman David Ruvalcaba, a Tijuana member of the Institutional Revolutionary Party and Chair of the Legislative Political Coordinating Board, introduced a resolution demanding justices to remove their colleague as ordered by federal authorities.
On Monday, Mexico’s Judiciary Council gave local authorities three days to remove Justice Cataño.
In a press release, the state’s Judiciary Branch said the decision to remove Justice Catani depends on assembly members.
Lawmaker demands funds for high school football programs
A state lawmaker introduced a resolution bill in order to ask the governor to provide funds for high school football programs and to rehire coaches at the Colegio de Bachilleres high school system.
The resolution was approved unanimously by assembly members.
Lawmakers made an appointment for Colegio de Bachilleres Director Amparo Pelayo to appear before the Assembly.
Assemblywoman Cynthia Ruiz, a Mexicali member of the Institutional Revolutionary Party, asked state officials to find funds through the National Social Prevention of Violence and Crime Program to support sports programs locally.
This program, launched by the Mexican government on April 2014, appropriates funds for states and municipalities to prevent crime among youth.
Ruiz said sports activity provides students with tranquilizing and anti-depression effects while improving well-being and sleep.
“It is a solution to common societal issues,” she said. “As of today there is a larger amount of youth who enter organized crime and one of the best strategies to prevent this is by promoting sports.”
The Colegio de Bachilleres system fired all male football and female flag football coaches in Mexicali after Governor Francisco Vega announced an investment of 1,000 million pesos with half of it for education.
Ruiz recalled the state lags behind in terms of academic performance, with poor states like Oaxaca and Guerrero –whose governments spend low in education- underlined for their students’ performance and retention.
Public safety perception improves, still high
The National Institute of Statistics and Geography, or INEGI in Spanish, released the results of the National Survey of Urban Public Safety for the second quarter of 2016.
According to the document Mexicali observed an improvement on the issue compared to march.
The agency said perception of insecurity in the city fell from 64.1 percent in March to 63.2 percent on June.
Mexicali was 29 among the 47 metropolitan areas surveyed.
The most insecure cities nationwide were Villahermosa, Tabasco; Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz; Acapulco, Guerrero; eastern Mexico City and Chilpancingo, Guerrero.
On the other hand, the most secure cities according to residents’ responses were Mérida, Yucatán; Tepic, Nayarit; San Francisco, Campeche; Durango City and Saltillo, Coahuila.
However, the Mexican agency also reported that 61.0 percent of Mexicali residents were directly involved in a crime with neighbors, coworkers, students, government officials, family members or businesses.
On this issue, Mexicali is number four nationwide with Querétaro, Villahermosa and southern Mexico City on top.
Nationwide, 45.2 percent of Mexicans were involved with a crime, according to the survey.
Mexicali residents were asked too regarding the effectiveness of their government with 24.6 percent responding it is either very or somewhat effective.
Mexicali was 14 nationwide in this question and the average in Mexico was 21.5 percent.
