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Fiesta on land and sea Old Spanish Days plans to create an all-inclusive journey into history
Operation Lone Star catches notorious ‘joker’ smuggler By BETHANY BLANKLEY THE CENTER SQUARE CONTRIBUTOR
DAVE MASON / NEWS-PRESS PHOTOS
(The Center Square) – Law enforcement officers working through Texas’ border security mission, Operation Lone Star, are continuing to pursue and apprehend human smugglers – including a notorious coyote called “the joker.” Their efforts also highlight the ongoing problem law enforcement and local residents are dealing with: crime committed by gotaways. In one recent example, a driver of a work truck led Texas DPS officers on a high-speed vehicle pursuit. At one point, the driver stopped to let nine male Hispanics bail out of the truck in a residential area. It’s unclear if they were ever apprehended. DPS troopers pursued the driver. Their goal is to catch human smugglers, law enforcement officers have explained to The Center Square. Multiple troopers engaged in pursuit. One deployed a tire deflation device, causing the driver to lose control of the vehicle. The driver, from Laredo, was arrested and charged with smuggling of persons and evading arrest.
Those who escaped are referred to as “gotaways” by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. They are primarily single, military-age men who illegally enter the U.S., intentionally seeking to evade capture by law enforcement and make their way into the interior of the U.S. In Laredo, Texas Army National Guard soldiers helped apprehend a well-known coyote in the area called “the joker.” Coyotes are cartel operatives who guide foreign nationals illegally into the U.S. Texas Army National Guard Specialist Jonathan Sarver, a rifleman for Alpha Company, Task Force Center, helped apprehend “the joker.” When describing his recent capture, Specialist Sarver said, “Most of these guys, they employ underage people. They employ a lot of minors. “It’s good to feel like you’re making a difference for a while at least and get them off the street and making it harder for them. It’s good to feel like you’re making a difference and having a sense of purpose out here.” In neighboring Webb County, a human smuggler led DPS troopers on a high-speed chase reaching Please see SMUGGLER on A4
From left , El Presidente David Bolton discusses the maritime connection for this year’s Fiesta during a news conference as Greg Gorga, executive director of the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum, and Chris Mendoza Jr. listen.
Prosecutors push back on Trump’s claims that documents trial should be delayed
MORE INSIDE For a photo of the tomol replica at the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum, see Page B2. By DAVE MASON NEWS-PRESS MANAGING EDITOR
Get ready for some time travel. Santa Barbara will revisit 1542 when the Chumash in a tomol — an impressive canoe — travel across the water to greet San Salvador, explorer Juan Cabrillo’s tall ship (a galleon, to be precise). The historic encounter marking the first Chumash interaction with Europeans will be re-enacted with replicas of both vessels at 10:30 a.m. Aug. 4 on the west side of Stearns Wharf as part of a Fiesta that’s trying to be more inclusive. Afterward, the Chumash presence will be a major part of The Historical Parade (“El Desfile Histórico”), going down Cabrillo Boulevard. “They will be on both the floats and the carriages,” Tony Miller, division chief of pageantry, told the News-Press Monday morning after a Fiesta news conference in front of the Santa Barbara Harbor and directly outside the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum. El Presidente David Bolton told the News-Press that making Fiesta as inclusive as possible is among his goals this year. He noted Old Spanish Days selected a Chumash elder — Ernestine De Soto — as its parade marshal and that diversity is represented in details such as Jack Harwood being chosen the first male Spirit of Fiesta. El Presidente Bolton added that La Fiesta Pequena, the popular outdoor show in front of the Santa Barbara Mission, will represent the four nations that
By BRETT ROWLAND THE CENTER SQUARE
Above, Chumash representative Rosie Uribe speaks during a news conference. This year’s Fiesta is emphasizing Chumash history. At right, Frank Gutierrez of the Brotherhood of Tomol, left, and El Presidente David Bolton discuss this year’s Fiesta during the news conference in front of the Santa Barbara Harbor.
governed Santa Barbara at one time or another: the Chumash, Spain, Mexico and the United States. Of course, tradition graces the various aspects of Fiesta. That includes music and dancing, from a 14-member mariachi group at La Fiesta Pequena to the dancing Please see FIESTA on A4
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that the Court not even consider a new trial date until some unspecified later time. There is no basis in law or fact for proceeding in such an indeterminate and open-ended fashion, and the Defendants provide none,” prosecutors wrote. Prosecutors said the trial date should be Dec. 11, 2023. “The Defendants chide the Government for seeking an ‘expedited’ trial, but in doing so they have it exactly backward,” according to the federal response. “A speedy trial is a foundational requirement of the Constitution and the United States Code, not a Government preference that must be justified.” Prosecutors also said Mr. Please see TRUMP on A4
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(The Center Square) – Federal prosecutors said former President Donald Trump’s open-ended request to defer a trial date until after the 2024 election is unjustified in a case that alleges he illegally kept classified documents. Mr. Trump wants to postpone any trial on allegations he illegally kept and concealed classified documents at Mar-a-Lago until after the 2024 presidential election. Attorneys for Mr. Trump and alleged co-conspirator Walt Nauta previously filed a motion that detailed the reasons they want to push back the trial, which is set for December 2023. The motion cited a number of reasons for the delay, including the sheer amount of discovery materials in the case, which so far include 833,450 pages of records and nine months of security camera footage. Defense attorneys also said that ultimately a trial won’t be needed anyway. Prosecutors led by special counsel Jack Smith pushed back on those claims in a response to the motion from the former president. “Defendants Trump and Nauta claim unequivocally that they cannot receive a fair trial prior to the conclusion of the next presidential election, urge the Court to withdraw the current scheduling Order, and request
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