Day-Laborer Kidnapping Report A Hoax

Man who claimed he was taken in handcuffs to Mexico admits that he lied

Mark Petix, Staff Writer

RANCHO CUCAMONGA – A day laborer who claimed he and two other men were kidnapped from a street corner and taken in handcuffs to Tijuana has admitted he made the story up. When San Bernardino County sheriff’s investigators talked to Jose Feliz Gutierrez by phone, he said the kidnapping story he told to his sister was a lie.

“Jose stated he had left on his own accord,” said Detective Jesse Venegas in a statement released Wednesday. “The entire event was a fabrication.

“Jose stated that he was scared to stand at the corner and look for work because of recent events such as the tragic accident that took the life of a fellow day laborer.”

Jose Fernando Pedraza was killed May 5 when a car lost control and crashed into him at a spot where laborers gather at Grove Avenue and Arrow Route.

The kidnapping claim added fuel to an already fiery debate over day laborers and immigration that led to strong demands from people on both sides of the immigration issue. Two immigration rights groups called for an investigation after Gutierrez’s sister said her brother had called her from Mexico and said he had been kidnapped.

http://www.dailybulletin.com/search/ci_6025551

2007-06-02