Man Living In US Illegally Bonds Out Of Jail After Shooting At Officer

Tulsa Police said a man who has been living in the country illegally for 26 years and is charged with shooting at an officer has bonded out of jail.

The Sheriff's Office said Raul Yepez was able to bond out of jail due to a policy change that said the jail is no longer allowed to hold suspects who are here illegally.

Sheriff Vic Regalado said a year ago, they had 30 to 40 people in the jail every month accused of committing violent crimes, who were also here illegally. Right now, they have zero, because they can post bond like everyone else without the extra hold.

"Why are we having to jump through red tape to keep these violent criminals in jail,” Tulsa County Sheriff Vic Regalado said.

Regalado feels the new policy is bad for the community and said the case of Yepez is an example of that.

An arrest report said Yepez fired shots at officers in March, while they were serving a search warrant. One of the bullets hit an officer's ballistic shield.

"Subsequently, he bonded out within ten hours, on the same day, and has vanished,” said Regalado.

Regalado said they use to be able to put immediate detainers on people in the jail, who were also in the country illegally. They would stay in jail to face their charges, then go to immigration court. He said to get a detainer now, it takes a lot of time and documentation.

"The red tape has been put in, now there is a lag time and now these individuals have a window of opportunity to get that bond and get out of town,” said Regalado.

The Immigration and Customs Enforcement website said: "By focusing our limited resources on cases that present threats to national security, border security and public safety, our agency will be able to more ably and effectively execute our law enforcement mission." They also say, “individuals are presumed to be a threat to public safety if, for example, they have been convicted of an aggravated felony."

Regalado said the problem is people will disappear before they even face prosecution.

"People need to know the truth about what is happening in their communities. And the fact that yes, our hands are being tied. We are creating an uphill battle for law enforcement, to keep our citizens safe,” Regalado said.

Court records show after Yepez bonded out, he failed to show up for court and a warrant has been issued for his arrest.