Gang Member On Trial For Kidnapping Denied Lower Bond

By Brittney Booth, The Monitor, McAllen, Texas

Feb. 28–EDINBURG — A judge denied a request Monday to lower the $2 million bond for Jose Daniel Flores, a Texas Syndicate gang member charged with kidnapping an Edinburg man for a $400,000 ransom in December.

Flores, 29, of Rio Grande City, has been held in Hidalgo County jail since his Dec. 20, 2005, arrest on charges of aggravated kidnapping and engaging in organized criminal activity. His attorney, Ricardo Salinas, requested a lower bond and questioned the Edinburg police’s probable cause in arresting Flores.

Salinas argued that the bond was excessively high and that Flores would not be a flight risk if released on bond.

Edinburg Detective Robert Alvarez testified that on Dec. 3, 2005, Fabian Ruiz, 30, was taken at gunpoint from his Edinburg home and held for four days. Ruiz’s family received several phone calls from the kidnappers demanding $800,000 for his release and threatening to send “pieces” of Ruiz to them if they did not cooperate.

Ruiz’s family negotiated with the kidnappers and eventually paid $400,000 in ransom. Ruiz was released unharmed in Mercedes on Dec. 8.

Alvarez said police traced the cell phone calls to an area in San Benito, but were not able to pinpoint the exact location. Police also recorded the phone calls the kidnappers made to Ruiz’s family. Ruiz later identified Flores’ voice as that of one of his kidnappers.

Several of Flores’ codefendants also identified him as the person in charge of the kidnapping, Alvarez said.

Flores’ wife, Roxanne, testified that her husband worked at a Rio Grande City mechanic shop and did not make any trips to San Benito in December. He joined the Texas Syndicate for protection while serving time in state prison, but had not been active with the gang in the two years since his release, she said.

She asked the judge to lower the bond to $40,000 and said her husband would return to court. Roxanne Flores said neither she nor her husband had any relatives living in Mexico and said her husband would not flee to that country.

Assistant District Attorney Andrew Almaguer argued against a lower bond. He told the judge that the Texas Syndicate had not returned the ransom money and therefore had enough money to pay for Flores’ bond.

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Brittney Booth covers courts and general assignments for The Monitor. You can reach her at (956) 683-4437.

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Copyright (c) 2006, The Monitor, McAllen, Texas

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