Felony sex charges are pending in Cuyahoga County Court against Antonio Barrera.
The federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency says Barrera was deported to Mexico three times between 2007-2008.
Last December, Cleveland police say he sexually assaulted a child on the city’s east side. Investigators say the victim was a relative.
Thursday, the victim’s mother told the I-Team she walked in on the attack. She told us Barrera had been living there with relatives and working at a factory. And, his past was no secret.
The victim’s mother said, “Yes, we all knew he didn’t have papers.”
The I-Team has also obtained handwritten letters sent to the court signed with the name Antonio Barrera. He doesn’t speak English. But the letters are written in English. One asks for drug treatment instead of prison. The other asks for a trial. Both talk about Mexico.
One letter says, “I want to take my case to a jury trial then go home to Mexico, no more under the tunnels.”
Judge Nancy Russo is handling the case of the sex crimes. At a hearing Thursday, she wondered why the court is getting those neatly-written letters from a man who doesn’t speak English. A defense attorney had to translate for Barrera, and he said...
