Pasadena man arrested in Harrison County accused of smuggling 4 people
HARRISON COUNTY, Texas (KLTV) - A suspect was arrested in Harrison County for allegedly smuggling four people across the country.
Rene Eduardo Escobar, 34, of Pasadena, was stopped by an officer around 2:45 a.m. for a defective license plate light according to an arrest document. The document said that the officer noticed four additional occupants through the dark tinted glass. Once the windows were rolled down, the officer noticed that the passengers were covered in mud.
Escobar allegedly told the officer that they were traveling form Houston to Chicago for work, and when the passengers were questioned separately they said the same. However, none of the passengers were able to name Escobar when asked. Three of the passengers reportedly said they were in the country legally, but one admitted to crossing the border in Brownsville.
The officer searched the vehicle after reportedly getting permission from Escobar, and found luggage and equipment for Escobar only, as well as fast food items and baggies with cell phone chargers and Mexican pesos in the door panels.
After being arrested and read his Miranda warning, Escobar reportedly agreed to speak to the officer. He allegedly admitted that he had agreed to transport the four people to Chicago for an unnamed person to whom Escobar owed money. According to the document, he also admitted that the car was not his, and he picked up the people from a house in Houston without having ever met them before.
Escobar was arrested and booked into the Harrison County Jail on four counts of smuggling of persons with a total bond amount of $200,000.
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