Laramie County Sheriff Brian Kozak has addressed discrepancies in reports detailing the immigration arrest of a Laramie County resident, blaming a copy-and-paste error for the inconsistencies. The arrest in question involved Mario Fabian Valenzuela Robles, a Mexican citizen and long-time Laramie County resident with three minor children who are U.S. citizens.
Background of the Case
Valenzuela Robles was detained by a deputy from the Laramie County Sheriff’s Office in April following a traffic stop. The plaintiffs in the lawsuit, which include a Denver-based law firm and an investigator, allege that the sheriff’s office blocked access to evidence and issued a false report related to the immigration case.
The initial report stated that the Cheyenne Police Department had collected and stored video footage of the arrest, while a revised report indicated that the Laramie County Sheriff’s Office had the footage. The plaintiffs claim they were met with resistance when attempting to obtain the body camera footage of the arrest.
Sheriff’s Response
Sheriff Kozak explained in a social media video that the deputy who wrote the report mistakenly copied and pasted a line from a previous report, resulting in the error. The sheriff’s office has since corrected the report and implemented measures to prevent similar mistakes in the future.
Kozak also stated that the footage of the arrest was not released because the county attorney did not receive a letter from the law firm confirming that they represented Valenzuela Robles. The law firm has provided such a letter, which is included in the lawsuit’s exhibits.
The Laramie County Sheriff’s Office is facing another immigration-related lawsuit over its agreements with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a complaint in May accusing the sheriff’s office of violating legally required procedures and exceeding their legal authority when entering into three 287(g) agreements with ICE.
Original reporting: Oil City News (Casper WY) — read the source article.
