LAREDO, TX. (KGNS) - A man is facing charges of capital murder stemming from an incident that resulted in the death of his nine-month-old child in April of 2022.

Carlos Tello, 41, was arrested on Sunday by the Laredo Police Department’s US Marshals Task Force near the 1400 block of N Meadow Avenue.

The incident was reported on April 18 of 2022, when police were called out to the Laredo Medical Center for a child that had displayed physical signs of abuse.

Tello explained that they had sought medical help in Nuevo Laredo for the child’s stomach issues.

But police found visible injuries and bruises on the child, both on the outside and inside of the child’s body.

Family members had seen marks on the child’s face, bruises, and scratches on earlier occasions.

The child’s sibling also shared what they had witnessed, suggesting that Tello had been violent towards the child multiple times.

The child’s mother, Justina Martinez, was charged with injury to a child and injury to a child criminal negligence.

EAGLE PASS, Texas (Border Report) — Retiree Ruben Duran Villarreal wears orange and green identifying medical bracelets and has bandages on his left arm as he waits on a porch near Bridge 1 in this South Texas border city.

The 68-year-old from Piedras Negras, Mexico, has had to walk across the bridge three times a week for recurring medical visits here in Eagle Pass because one of the two international bridges here remains closed to traffic.

U.S. officials closed Bridge 1 to vehicular traffic three weeks ago after thousands of migrants began crossing the Rio Grande illegally into Eagle Pass from Piedras Negras.

Federal law enforcement was transferred to work under Bridge 2 — formally called the Camino Real International Bridge — to process the migrants, mostly Venezuelans.

But on Wednesday, Border Report didn’t see any migrants being processed under Bridge 2, and there were very few federal agents and other law enforcement from what just weeks ago resembled a very different scene.

Still, Villarreal and others must walk across Bridge 1 if they want to visit downtown Eagle Pass. He said the journeys are wearing on him.

“Yes, I must walk across. It’s what we all have to do to get to Coahuila,” Villarreal said in Spanish as he waited for a ride to pick him up on Wednesday.

Eagle Pass Mayor Rolando Salinas Jr., says city officials want the bridge to reopen.

“We don’t agree with that decision and we want it open obviously,” Salinas said recently speaking to reporters in Spanish.

He says over $500,000 has been lost since the shutdown began, and it has prevented residents from crossing back and forth for work, medical visits or shopping.

Texas state Rep. Eddie Morales Jr., a Democrat who represents Eagle Pass, this week sent an “urgent request” to the port director asking the bridge be reopened.

He shared the letter with Border Report, which read: “This closure has brought significant concern from local leaders and critical trading partners.”

Morales says that over $120,000 in bridge fees have been lost during the shutdown. (Villarreal and others pay $1 to walk from Mexico into South Texas over Bridge 1. But that’s far less than the $4 fee that cars pay.)

On Friday, the Eagle Pass Bridge System posted the following message in English and Spanish on its Facebook page: “BRIDGE 1 REMAINS CLOSED FOR VEHICLES! TRAFFIC IS CURRENTLY HEAVY CROSSING TO MEXICO, EXPECT DELAYS! ¡PUENTE 1 PERMANESE CERRADO PATA VEHÍCULOS! ALTO VOLUMEN DE TRÁFICO PARA CRUZAR A MÉXICO, ¡ESPERA RETRASOS!”

Laredo, Tex. (KGNS) On October 14, at the World Trade Bridge, CBP officers handed over a 2005 Freightliner truck driven by a 36-year-old Mexican who claimed to be carrying a shipment of various commercial parcel items and truck parts. After an inspection, officers discovered a total of 7.5 kilograms of suspected fentanyl hidden in a false compartment inside a metal narcotic cylinder that has an estimated street value of $100,300.

According to parameters released by the DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration), 7.5 kilograms of fentanyl have the potential to kill 2.1 million people by overdose.

The CBP agent deployed his partner K-9Louis to sniff the products outdoors and the K-9 alerted to the odor of narcotics.

The cylinder was found in the bed of the truck and upon further investigation, it was discovered that a false compartment in the metal container contained an estimated $100,300 in narcotics, the federal agent said.

The driver was arrested and taken into DEA custody for federal processing, the CBP agent stated.

LAREDO, Tex. (KGNS) - Several people laced up with their best running shoes ready to support United Way on Saturday, October 14, 2023.

Heat and many faces you see every day delivering the news on your screen took part in the 5k Star Run and Walk at Laredo College at the Fort Mcintosh Campus.

All the proceeds raised during the event will go to United Way of Laredo, which has been serving our community for 75 years.

They help 22 different organizations that provide different services from food to education for everyone who needs them.

The two overall winners for the race for the female and male categories were Julie Canto and Eduardo Guerra.

LAREDO, Tex. (KGNS) - After 70-years a Laredoan who served in the Korean War is reunited with his parents after being laid to rest. Laredoans said one last goodbye to Sgt. Cresenciano Garcia Jr. Saturday afternoon.

Sgt. Garcia Jr., died a prisoner of war. He was only 20 years old when he was reported unaccounted for during the Korean War. His parents Cresenciano and Petra Garcia never lost hope of finding their son. Now it’s Sgt. Garcia’s nephews and nieces were able to help their uncle find his way back home to his parents. The religious ceremony took place this morning at St. Joseph Catholic Church.

Followed by the mass and a procession that ended at the Calvary Catholic Cemetery. Laredo Korean War Veteran Ernesto Sanchez says he will remember Sgt. Garcia since they grew up together.

“”I followed him from first to 4th grade and then I went to St. Joseph and in 5th Grade I went to heights, and he was there. And from there I never saw him again. and then my mother said ‘Hijito come and see Chanito he’s going to Korea,” said Korean War Veteran Ernesto Sanchez.

Military honors were provided by the United States Army and the Laredo Honor Guard During the funeral.

LAREDO, Tex. (KGNS) - A Laredo family is left reeling as masked intruders targeted their home in the Wright Ranch subdivision. Surveillance footage has chillingly captured the moments when these suspects forcibly broke into the residence.

The incident transpired on October 11, shortly after midnight, in the 1600 block of Tulum Drive. The homeowner recounted a harrowing ordeal in which five individuals aggressively kicked the door open, falsely claiming to be police officers. The homeowner says one of the suspects threatened her with a knife before making off with various possessions.

Laredo police officials have revealed that they are unable to disclose many details regarding the case at this time. However, they emphasized that this home invasion appears to be an isolated incident. Investigator Joe Baeza from the Laredo Police Department stated, “At this point, we understand that that particular location was targeted, and that’s the only thing that was affected. Nobody was hurt as a result of this encounter, but for right now, there’s still a lot of investigation going on.”

Authorities are actively working to identify the suspects behind this terrifying home invasion. Surveillance footage in the area suggests that the suspects arrived in a mid-size car.

LAREDO, Tex. (KGNS) - The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) has implemented a series of intensified commercial vehicle safety inspections at key border crossings, including the Colombia Solidarity Bridge in Laredo. The focus of these inspections, according to DPS officials, is to ensure the safety and equipment compliance of commercial vehicles crossing the border.

The implementation of these mechanical inspections has sparked congestion on the Mexican side of the international bridges in Laredo. The recent surge in inspection activity has raised concerns among local leaders and lawmakers, with U.S. Congressman Henry Cuellar voicing apprehensions about the impact on Laredo’s economy.

Cuellar expressed his concerns, emphasizing that these inspections, initiated by Texas Governor Greg Abbott, have limited impact on border security but are significantly affecting the local economy. Laredo is home to the largest inland port of entry in the nation.

Cuellar stated, “The only thing that happens is he [Governor Abbott] causes long delays, and when he causes long delays like he’s doing in El Paso and other places, that affects commerce, that affects people’s livelihoods when he does that. So, again, I wish he would work with the U.S. government and not give the impression that he’s stopping drugs and migrants when he’s only stopping the trucks to do mechanical checks.”

As part of these enhanced inspections, about 2,000 inspections have been conducted thus far, leading to approximately 13 to 15 percent of inspected trucks being taken out of service due to violations related to brakes or tires. However, it’s noteworthy that there have been no reports of illicit drugs being discovered during these inspections.

This situation brings back memories of a similar occurrence at the Texas-Mexico border last year when prolonged delays prompted the Texas and Nuevo Leon governments to reach an agreement to halt enhanced bridge inspections at ports of entry.