Imperial Valley press., 1922-12-29
FIR RESED 0FE.oE.2.
RELEASED AFTER
MISTAKEN ARR E.S T |
Mistalzes All Around
Lead to Peculiar
NtixuD
Officer HomeWard Bound
With Name Cleared
of Charges

OF C1aESS6
Accompanied bv Lieutenant r. NJ,
Liukous, of the Fresno police de
partmeut, Officer D. p. Bates Of tire
same department, left for Fresno
this morning on the 1875 tTain with
his prisoner, Dave Boiin, after TIVE
CT three exciting days, the last two
Of which Bates spent as q prisoner
IN the Galexico and .EI Centre 5ails
on suspicious that he had attempted
to release Polin rom custody after
he he'd been turned over + him by
the CaieSieo police.
After sitting all the evidence in
the ease, it dwiHdtel doWn IL 81
series OF mistakes and mlsundcr-
standings. which caused charges and
coaatef1hatgcs to 1lv thick and
fast. and at one time allowed tire
good name of faithful officer t.
be besmirelc3 with tie stigma OF
traitor 10 his oath rs policeman
Get New Angle on Case
When Frank r. Erzingcr, assis5-
ant district attaaHeH, stalted his in
vestfaation this morning, it took
only a few minutes to get new
angle on the ease ~aich showed that
the Calexico officer and the officer
from Fresno were working a les
gerheads.
Bates had unknowinaly made Ire
mistake of taking lis prisoner across
thel lline. into Mexico and whom This
fact was brought TO the attention eff
the CalcXico Officers, they naturally
thought something was wrong, ipas-
much as they lad seen Bates board
a train the day before, bouud for
Fresno > with his prisoner. They
eventually succeeded in getting
Bates and Polin On the American
side Of tho line and placed them uu-
der arrest, after which they notified
the Fresno authorities Bates was
transferred to the county jail in tHis
city yesterday afternoon and held
there pending the arrival Of an Off
Ger tsom Fresno
Hears Bates' Story
Lieutenant I.iukoua arrived in this
city last night and Immediately
went to the county jail where he
heard Bates story and gave his
opinion that the officer was telling
the truth and had only been indis-
erect in crossing the line to Meyi-
co with his prisoner His action in
returning TO Ca'eyico to obtain
Poliu's automobile vas commended
by the lieutenmt it was too late
following the conference to do any
thing last night aad Bates remained
at the Jail.
This morning Iinkaus went to Ca
leNico and returned With Pojin, after
which he proceeded ID the Jail. polin
told the lieutWaut and tile district
attorney a story tlat coroboratcl
with that toId LAST eight by OFFICER
Bales and cmphaticauy denied that
hc had ever made amy attempt to
bribe Bates, or that there had been
anything of a questionable nature
pass between tbcm. After bearing
the stories of Bates aud Polm, and
Lieutenant LiukoIs splendid recon-
incubation OF Cff.ccg Bates as a man
and policeman, Erziuger decided hat
there was mo criminal intent ON The
part af the officer in taking Poliu
ta Mexico and taa he had acted
in accordance with the wide lati-
tude allowed him by his chief when
be left Fresno to get the prisoner
Unknown Here Was Cause
He believed it was due largely to
the fact that Bates is unknown here
or in Calesico, that the trouble oc-
Cured, and the case was not helped
amy by the suspicious Of the Calex-
leo officials 0Aen they located the
policeman and his prisoner ON Mex
lean soil.
Erziuser ordered The release of
Bates, and few minutes after the
order was received ut the county
jail, " Chief' Cummings was maxi
ing a hurried trip to the station in
q successful attempt to get the Fres-
no party aboard The 11:35- train,
though he succeeded by matter OF
seconds only
Ny record is just as clean today
as it was the day took the oath
as d member of the Fresno police
department, and I am in my present
position only because I am 500 miles.
from the people who know me, and
through Ignorance, ! made the mis-
take of taking my prisoner into
Mexico, p said u. + Bates, Fresno
patrol driver, who Is held ia the
county Jail here, awaiting iuvestioa
tion into charges that he attempted
to release Dave Poih from custody,
after the men had left Calexico for
Fresno, whore Polin is wanted for