Sheriff sees pattern in border agents' cases

'Treatment of Ramos, Compean followed outline of 2001 Sipe case'
Posted: March 6, 2007 1:00 a.m. Eastern
By Jerome R. Corsi

© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com

A Texas sheriff says a 2001 case against another U.S. Border Patrol agent set the pattern that was used by U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton in his recent cases against Agents Jose Compean and Ignacio Ramos, who now are serving prison terms for shooting at a drug smuggler fleeing back into Mexico, as well as Deputy Sheriff Gilmer Hernandez.

Rocksprings, Texas, Sheriff Don Letsinger told WND in a telephone interview that the prosecution of David Sipe was "the smoking gun" showing how the U.S. Attorney's office handles evidence "to get prosecutions like U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton has gotten in the case of Ramos and Compean."

Sipe was convicted in 2001 for a situation near McAllen, Texas, when he was accused of using a metal flashlight to strike illegal alien coyote Jose Guevara on the back of his head after Guevara struggled and resisted arrest.

The charge was using "excessive force and causing bodily injury" in the confrontation during the early morning hours of April 5, 2000.

The case would ruin Sipe's career and marriage before it was over just a few weeks ago. A federal appeals court reversed his conviction and ordered a new trial because of prosecutorial misconduct, including withholding exculpatory information from the defense in violation of the Brady rule, and during a re-trial in January, Sipe was acquitted after deliberations of less than an hour. (emphasis mine!)