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Woman jailed in attempt to supply alcohol to Terlingua sexual assault suspect
By STERRY BUTCHER
ALPINE – A Terlingua woman has been charged with attempting to supply alcohol and tobacco to one of the Brewster County Jail inmates accused of kidnapping and sexually assaulting an 18-year old youth last December.
Tyra Denette Fuglaar, 45, was arrested Saturday, according to Sheriff Ronny Dodson. She’s reportedly a girlfriend of Kristapher Buchanan, 27, who is presently held at the jail.
“He’d been in contact with her and she’d been trying to smuggle stuff into the jail,” said Dodson. “We got information that it would happen again. On Saturday, deputies observed her attempt to introduce alcohol and tobacco into the trash can in the bathroom during jail visitation.”
The charge of introduction of contraband to a correctional facility is a third degree felony, said the sheriff.
On Monday, Fuglaar remained in custody on a $10,000 bond.
Buchanan and Daniel Martinez, 46, allegedly kidnapped a young man from a Terlingua bar late on the night of December 6, then reportedly sexually assaulted him, set his car ablaze, took him to a second location and assaulted him again, and forced him to call the sheriff’s office to report the car stolen.
The assault victim was able to escape in the early hours of December 7 and he made his way several miles across the desert to Hwy. 118, where a sheriff’s deputy on patrol found him walking along the roadway. Bonds totaling more than $275,000 were set on Buchanan and Martinez, who each face charges of aggravated sexual assault, aggravated kidnapping, aggravated robbery and arson.
Certain aspects of the crime led the Federal Bureau of Investigations to explore whether it fell under the designation of a federal hate crime. Crime that is motivated by national origin, religion, race or sexual orientation may be deemed a hate crime and judges may impose harsher penalties in such cases.
Dodson, in his investigation, had concluded that the Terlingua incidents did not meet the hate crime standard. He said this week that the FBI had come to a similar conclusion.
“It did not fit the FBI’s criteria,” Dodson reported. “The FBI has made a recommendation not to file it as a hate crime.”
The recommendation goes to a Department of Justice panel which will make the ultimate determination on whether this specific case qualifies as a hate crime.
An attorney for Martinez, Mike Barclay, filed last week for a bond reduction in the case. The incidents of December 6-7 and the subsequent arrest of Martinez and Buchanan drew a great deal of interest from local residents and an array of media sources. Not all the information that circulated was accurate, he said.
“As a direct result of the conclusive accusations by such sources, some of whom were practicing great economy with the truth,” he wrote, “a barrage of publicity was generated and published nationally regarding this event. This may have contributed to the bail being set in an amount [Martinez] could never hope to post, and in fact is punishing [Martinez] by setting bail so excessive that he will be compelled to remain in custody pending trial.”
A hearing on the bond reduction motion is set for 9am Friday in the district courtroom of the Brewster County courthouse. Marfa chamber survey in this week’s paper
MARFA - In this week’s advertising insert pages you will find a survey from the Marfa Chamber of Commerce.
This is a list of Marfa businesses that employ its residents, help pay taxes, and provide goods and services. Supporting local businesses will help Marfa as a community and allow us to be a better place.
In a town as small as ours we must all stick together to guarantee success for each other. The Chamber of Commerce put this survey together to help you know just how lucky we all are to have so many wonderful businesses in our town. Please read the document, save it, and mark when you visit somewhere.
In January 2011 we will ask you to return the survey to help compile data for research.
Thank you for your support and for helping Marfans help Marfa. |
