TYLER, Texas — Police arrested a Plano man they say ignored an AMBER Alert for two Bullard teens he was harboring.
Jose Penaloza-Estrada, 20, of Plano was arrested and charged with harboring a runaway child after being aware that an AMBER alert and a mission person’s report was active for Bullard teens, Devany Betancourt and Marina Nelson.
Seagoville Police Captain Steve Davis said the girls originally made phone calls stating they were in grave danger. However, detectives obtained surveillance video of the girls in the area of this overnight originating phone call. The video depicted both girls in the company of two young males on Sunday evening, Davis said. From the video obtained, he said there was no expressed actions from the group that the girls were in any distress. The video served to corroborate tips that the girls had planned a staged abduction early on from the flea market, to be in the company of the young males.
The teens were driven to Seagoville by a private music instructor Mario Cedillo Ortiz, who told the Tyler Morning Telegraph the same thing. He wanted to go to the flea market where one of the girls performed on Sunday to see if they were abducted or went willingly with someone. Cedillo Ortiz said he was cooperating with the FBI and was going to speak with investigators today.
Read the rest of the story with our news partners, the Tyler Morning Telegraph.
