Wanted Fugitive, Jessica Tata, captured and escorted stateside
- Share
- Font Size:
- Default font size
- Larger font size
Submitted22 year-old Jessica Tata was escorted back stateside from Nigeria to face charges for the house fire in West Houston that lead to the death of four children under her care.
Posted: Saturday, March 26, 2011 6:25 am
Jessica Tata, 22, owner and operator of Jackie's Day Care in West Houston, was captured March 19 in Port Harcourt, Nigeria.
The day care provider allegedly left seven children under her care alone in the house when a pot of oil on the stove turned to a visceral fire. Four children died as a result.
Tata was added to the U.S. Marshal's 15 most wanted criminals back on March 4 after fleeing Harris County.
According to a press release from the U.S. Marshals department, Tata was captured through a collaborative effort between Interpol and U.S. Department of State Diplomatic Security agents.
She was transported from Lagos International Airport in Nigeria to Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta, then transported to Hooks Airport in Tomball.
Christina Garza, Harris County Sherriff's Office spokesperson, said the Houston Police Department and Houston Fire Department are the lead investigators on Tata's case.
"The only role we play is we are housing her," Garza said. "She is at the Harris County Jail. She is in a single cell for her protection. The Gulf Coast Violent Offenders and Fugitives Task Force brought her in from Atlanta."
Garza said a combination of law enforcement agencies, including HCSO, transported her to the Harris County Jail.
"When Jessica Tata chose to flee from the consequences of her actions that left four innocent children dead, we made her capture a top priority" said Geoffrey Shank, U.S. Marshals Service Acting Assistant Director of Investigative Operations Division. "I thank our deputies, and domestic and international partners, for their tireless persistence in bringing this fugitive to justice."
"Diplomatic Security's Regional Security Office in Nigeria maintains an excellent working relationship with local law enforcement personnel who helped facilitate Jessica Tata's capture," said Jeffrey W. Culver, Director of the Diplomatic Security Service. "With today's announcement, Diplomatic Security, working in conjunction with the U.S. Marshals, sends a strong message to criminals: there is no safe harbor outside the United States."
"You cannot thumb your nose at the justice system, whether it be domestically or abroad," said Elizabeth Saenz, U.S. Marshal for the Southern District of Texas. "Justice will be served. Jessica Tata has learned this thanks to the global efforts of the many and unknown."
Awaiting Tata was an extensive list of criminal charges: four counts of manslaughter; six counts of reckless injury to a child; three more for abandoning a child under fifteen; and also a charge alleging she fled authorities to avoid prosecution.
On March 23, Tata made her first court appearance. She pleaded not guilty on all charges. Further hearings are set to take place within the week.
You received this message because you are subscribed to the "USA-Africa Dialogue Series" moderated by Toyin Falola, University of Texas at Austin.
For current archives, visit http://groups.google.com/group/USAAfricaDialogue
For previous archives, visit http://www.utexas.edu/conferences/africa/ads/index.html
To post to this group, send an email to USAAfricaDialogue@googlegroups.com
To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to USAAfricaDialogue-
unsubscribe@googlegroups.com
No comments:
Post a Comment