24-Year-Old Arrested in Dragging Hispanic Man Behind a Car on Easter

[NNN0LHI]

GALLUP, N.M. (AP) - A 24-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the dragging of a Hispanic man behind a vehicle, which left the victim with burn-like abrasions over half his body.
John Pete Talamante was booked Friday on charges of kidnapping, aggravated battery and assault with intent to commit a violent felony.

Talamante was being held without bond in the McKinley County Detention Center, said Gallup police Chief Sylvester Stanley. More arrests were likely, he said.

The victim, 32-year-old Fausto Arellano, remained hospitalized in critical condition. He had been bound by the ankles and pulled by a rope for some 4,000 feet on Easter morning, according to police.

http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGBRXS5Q17E.html

[wtmusic]

1. Why is the word "Hispanic" in the title

when the dragger is also Hispanic? Did AP feel this story needed a little hate-crime window dressing? :eyes:

[stepnw1f]

2. Good Catch

Either way.... poor guy.

[DeepModem Mom]

3. Help me understand that the dragger is Hispanic...

is it his name?

[Julius Civitatus]

4. Not sure. It could be an Italian name

Not sure Talamante is "hispanic" (I hate that word, as it doesn't mean jack).

[short bus president]

7. Um - it means "Spanish-speaking"

last I checked.

[alarcojon]

6. The ethnicity of Talamante is unclear

Just because his first and middle names are Anglo means little. As a Latino, Talamante sounds Italian to me, but that is just my gut feeling.

Nothing in the article settles the issue either way.

[Jilly Beans]

8. More likely he's American Indian. Gallup has a huge AmInd population.

[Horse with no Name]

10. Unsure but I heard on the news that it was being

touted as a hate crime. I heard this on the day it happened.

[ultraist]

14. No, they are not claiming it's a hate crime

They used Hispanic in the title, just as they use "Black." Usually whites are not referred to as the "White man."

It sounds like a drug deal gone bad.

[bettyellen]

17. blaming the victim?

50% of his skin was ripped off.

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/0402mandragged0.html

[alarcojon]

18. Drug deal gone bad?

From the original link:

Stanley said narcotics could be an "indirect motive" in the dragging, but added that officers had no indication that Arellano was involved in drugs.

on edit: or from # 17:

"He doesn't let his kids go out at night," Malone said. "He would never allow them to get involved with gangs, drugs or any of that crap. His boys are smart, good students."

but, about Talamante:

By Friday afternoon detectives closed in on Talamante, 24, who has a history of drug involvement here.

So why conclude Arellano was part of a drug deal gone bad?

[ConcernedCanuk]

5. Nasty family them Talamantes- - ?

.
.
.

Thursday
July 19
2001

Father to face trial for allegedly holding gun on son

Andrea Egger
Staff Writer

GALLUP — A Gallup man will face trial after allegedly pulling a gun on his 18-year-old son during an argument.

Magistrate Rhoda Hunt determined Deputy District Attorney Joseph Arite had enough evidence to send Herman Pete Talamante, 40, of Red Hills Mobile Home Park, to trial over the July 8 incident that led to the man's being charged with aggravated assault on a household member.

Talamante's son, Herman David Talamante, 18, testified Wednesday in Magistrate Court that he and his brother argued with their father that night.

/snip/

When Gallup Police Cpl. Don Howard arrived, he discovered that the gun was loaded with seven rounds.
__________________________________________________

So . .

if'n ya meet sumone named Talamante in Gallup,

a good idea might be to quietly walk the other way . .


ESPECIALLY if'n their middle name is "Pete"!!

[0007]

9. The moral of the story is, 'ya just don't piss 'Pete' off

[noamnety]

15. I wonder if it's a common last name

"former Customs inspector Richard Talamante, 38, got 21 months in prison for smuggling illegal immigrants across the border. FBI agents testified that Talamante and his wife, Christina, charged $1,300 per person to shuttle immigrants on at least 10 occasions. " (2002)

http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/264/full.shtml

[matcom]

11. WAY TO GO MINUTEMEN!!

:eyes:

[gratuitous]

12. Hey now!

Just because this is the predictable, logical consequence of the reckless rhetoric of the Repressive Right, you can't say that this particular incident, regrettable as it is, is tied to that.

At least, that's what the tobacco companies have been telling me.

[matcom]

13. right

let me check with UNOCAL first :D

[struggle4progress]

16. Related links

Arrest in dragging of immigrant in New Mexico
... Eurell T. Malone, owner of the M & M Trading Co., where Arellano has worked for 10 years, said the crime was senseless. "You have to be some kind of animal to drag a person behind a car," Malone said. "Everyone's asking, 'Why him? He was a kind and gentle man.'"

Dragging victim sought better life: Devoted dad worked hard for sons
Fausto Arellano came to this desert tourist town 15 years ago with empty pockets and big dreams ... Olga Andablo, the mother of Arellano's children who separated from him five years ago, said her ex-husband is a sociable person who played on a local soccer team with some of his friends from Mexico ... "He's a strong, husky guy who could hold his own," Malone said. "It had to have been two, three or four people who did this to him" ... "He doesn't let his kids go out at night," Malone said. "He would never allow them to get involved with gangs, drugs or any of that crap. His boys are smart, good students" ...

Suspect Arrested in Dragging of Immigrant in New Mexico
... "I think it's becoming sensationalized as a possible hate crime," Chief Stanley said in an interview. "But that aspect of the investigation is at the bottom of our list" ... Mr. Talamante was verbally abusive and uncooperative at the booking, where six police officers and guards controlled him. After the nearly 30-minute process, he continued his verbal assault while being led down a corridor. An assistant district attorney, Michael Calligan, approved the arrest and said he doubted that the dragging was hate related ... The windows of Mr. Arellano's van were broken a few days before the attack, the police said ...


Officials: Couldn't possibly be a hate crime. Suspect: Cuss cuss cuss. Officials: Maybe it's drug related. Boss: He's a nice guy and a hard worker. Community: He didn't want his kids in no gang. Van windows: Smash. Officials: Oh, we won't comment on the victim's immigration status, and his kids don't trust us. NYT: But he had him wunna them consular IDs what them illeegals uses.