LAREDO, Tex. (KGNS) - A Webb County Deputy Constable, still stuck in Israel, is in good spirits, according to Pct. 4 Constable Harold Devally.

Constable Devally says he spoke to Deputy Constable Gilberto De Leon a few days ago and notified him of his condition.

The deputy constable is part of the group from St. Joseph’s church who made the pilgrimage to Israel and remain in the country.

Constable Devally mentioned that De Leon remains in a safe location, is staying indoors, and is communicating with officials to make his way back home.

The constable shared the moment he learned of his deputy’s situation.

“After everything happened when he was over there, yeah all of us here in the office were worried. I remember asking the chief, ‘Is he still over there, has he gotten back yet?’ and he said ‘No, he’s still over there’. So that’s when I made contact with him and gave the information that I had--that they were bunkered down, safely,” Pct. 4 Constable Devally told us.

The constable says he is continuing to pray for his deputy’s--and the group’s--safe return home.

LAREDO, Tex. (KGNS) - The Laredo Police Department has made significant strides in the investigation of the city’s 5th homicide, leading to the arrest of two men and an outstanding warrant for another considered armed and dangerous.

Working closely with various units, including the Laredo PD Intelligence Unit and Laredo PD Anti-Gang Unit, the department conducted a series of operations that led to crucial breakthroughs.

On October 10, investigators located the suspected vehicle involved in the murder of Mike Torres Jr. 21-year-old Mauro Azahel Perales, the driver of the vehicle, was arrested and is facing charges of Murder (F/1), Engaging in Organized Criminal Activity (F/1), and Tampering with Evidence (F/3).

On Wednesday, October 11, investigators executed two search warrants at the residences of individuals connected to the murder. These warrants were carried out in the 3100 block of Potomac Loop and the 2600 block of Blaine Street.

The Laredo Police SWAT team recovered substantial evidence and detained several individuals. 21-year-old Sheldon Javier Gonzalez-Santiago was caught near the residence on Potomac Loop. He was arrested and served with an active felony arrest warrant for the manufacture and delivery of controlled substances (SJF), in addition to being served with arrest warrants for Murder (F/1) and Engaging in Organized Criminal Activity (F/1)

Another suspect, 19-year-old Luis Cardona, is wanted on active arrest warrants for Murder (F/1) and Engaging in Organized Criminal Activity (F/1). Anyone with information about Cardona’s whereabouts is urged to contact the Laredo Police Department.

The investigation also revealed links to other deadly conduct incidents.

LAREDO, Tx. (KGNS) - Amid the ongoing conflict in Israel, a group of 11 Laredoans, who embarked on a religious pilgrimage, are now seeking help from U.S. lawmakers to return safely to the United States.

Anselmo Sanchez Jr., Gilberto De Leon, and Ricardo Gonzalez are among the group that has been sharing their harrowing experiences while stranded in Israel.

The 11 Laredoans arrived in Israel on Tuesday, October 3, as part of a religious pilgrimage, accompanied by a priest from St. Joseph Church in Laredo. However, their journey was disrupted when they found themselves in the ongoing hostilities in the region.

Anselmo Sanchez Jr. shared, “We heard the bombings, and the sirens were going on for about a good 10 minutes.” Gilberto De Leon added, “When we finished our mass, we were going to get out, but some soldiers stopped us and it wasn’t safe.”

Sanchez further elaborated on their experiences, “We saw them on top of our heads, they were intercepted by the intelligence and the military. We have a video where the missiles were blown in the air instead of hitting the city.”

The group has been in hiding since, and the priest accompanying them has fallen ill. This situation has escalated their concerns, as Sanchez expressed, “He’s not feeling well. The stress is already getting to us, the pressure, the anxiety. Like if one of us gets sick, we don’t even know where to go.”

Initially, the group was joined by another religious group of 25 Polish individuals. However, Sanchez lamented, “As we speak, they are already in safety. They were taken out already. If the Polish government can do that, the U.S. government has to do the same.”

Desperate to return home, the Laredoans have tirelessly explored options for their evacuation. De Leon noted, “All of us are on the phone calling the airlines, trying to make something happen. It’s difficult when it doesn’t happen.”

In light of the situation, the group has turned to U.S. lawmakers for assistance. De Leon expressed a sense of hopelessness, saying, “It’s a little bit hopeless because they say there’s about 100,000 American people here. The government is not ready to evacuate and get their people out. We’re in limbo right now.”

U.S. Congressman Henry Cuellar, representing the 28th district, confirmed his office has received numerous calls over the past few days regarding U.S. residents stranded in Israel amid the ongoing conflict. Cuellar is taking personal action to resolve the crisis, saying, “I have talked to the White House, I have talked to the State Department personally. I have a meeting with the White House, and I am working on this to make sure that we bring the people from the church that visited Israel and some other folks.”

The U.S. State Department has been inundated with over 20,000 calls from Americans in Israel, facing the same challenges as the 11 Laredoans, who are striving day and night to return to the U.S.

Congressman Cuellar’s office has released a list of response resources for those in need during the Israeli crisis here.

LAREDO, Tex. (KGNS) - A man is arrested in connection to a case out of Rio Bravo last year where a six-year-old child died.

The man, 37-year-old Eliud Trinidad, is being charged with criminal negligent homicide.

The case dates back to September 2022 when Trinidad is accused of running over six-year-old Adrian Chavez Jr., with his truck.

According to the arrest affidavit, Trinidad stopped to talk to the child’s relatives when the child was in the back of the truck.

Trinidad claims that the child was removed from the truck, the door was closed, and he drove forward -- only to realize he had run over the victim.

The child was rushed to a Laredo hospital only to be pronounced dead shortly after.

Webb County Sheriff Martin Cuellar explained why the arrest comes a year after the incident.

“You have to remember that he was incarcerated at GEO for other charges. I believe it was smuggling, if I’m not mistaken, so he was there servicing his time and we put a hold on him. That’s exactly how we do things,” the sheriff told us. “We put a hold before they release them so when he finishes serving whatever he had in GEO, they release him to us and we’re able to serve the warrant and bring him to the county jail.”

At first, the case had been treated as an accident.

However, videos obtained by the sheriff’s office showed that the truck moved at a high rate of speed after the passenger door opened.

WEBB COUNTY, TX. (KGNS) - The Webb County Sheriff’s Office needs your help identifying the lifeless body of a man found last month. The discovery happened on Friday, Sept. 15 at around 8p.m. at the 200 block of Milagro Road in the Pueblo Nuevo subdivision.

He was wearing a gray long sleeve shirt, black pants and a wooden rosary necklace.

Authorities say he’s roughly five foot seven with black hair and a medium build.

The victim reportedly had a large tattoo of an angel on the lower part of his back.

If you have any information, they ask you to call Crime Stoppers at 727-TIPS.