Stanton County traffic stop leads to arrests of wanted Fremont men

Three men believed to be in the U.S. illegally were arrested or cited over the weekend in Stanton County.

Around 6:30 p.m. Saturday, the Stanton County Sheriff’s Office stopped a vehicle on Highway 15, about 12 miles south of Wayne, said sheriff Mike Unger in a press release. The driver and both passengers were found to have been allegedly consuming alcoholic liquor and had open alcohol containers.

Unger said the driver provided a false name but was eventually identified as Manuel Hernandez, 21, of Fremont. Hernandez was found to be driving with a revoked driver’s license and had two arrest warrants out of Dodge County.

The front-seat passenger also allegedly provided a false name before being identified as Martin Juarez-Ortiz, 26, also of Fremont. Juarez-Ortiz was found to have outstanding Dodge and Washington County arrest warrants. Both men were arrested and jailed on various criminal charges along with the warrants, Unger said.

The second passenger was cited for having an open alcohol container.

The sheriff said all three men are believed to be in the county unlawfully; however, Unger said local law enforcement is not able to take any enforcement action against them for their alleged illegal entry, citing federal law.

“This just shows again where regular traffic enforcement gets violators and criminals off our roadways,” Unger said.