Ranger Times

On Friday evening June 4, 2021 Eastland County Dispatch was notified by a concerned citizen that a vehicle entering the Cisco area on IH20 was driving erratically. Cisco Police Officer Clint Hauck located the vehicle which was a red Chrysler Mini Van and attempted to initiate a traffic stop. The vehicle then fled from the officer and a pursuit began down IH20 through Eastland and into the City Limits of Ranger. Officers from Eastland Police Department and Ranger Police Department, as well as Eastland Sheriff’s Office and Texas DPS Troopers assisted in the chase and subsequent foot pursuit when the occupants crashed into a field and hit a small tree near Tiffen Road in Ranger. Five people were eventually taken into custody after a small-scale manhunt was conducted. It is believed that two more individuals on foot were never located. Four of the five captured were not U.S. Citizens. They were all arrested for Evading Arrest and placed in the Eastland County Jail awaiting Border Patrol to take custody. The driver was later apprehended by Ranger Police Officers after he was reported trespassing at a local residence. He is a resident of Bernio, New Mexico and was identified as Juan Eminio Rubio. Rubio was booked into the Eastland County Jail after receiving medical treatment. He is charged with Felony Smuggling of Persons, Felony Evading Arrest with Motor Vehicle, Felony Possession of Controlled Substances and Felony Tampering with Physical Evidence. His bonds total $230,000.00. This is the second time in recent months that a smuggling vehicle has been apprehended in Eastland County.