Murder suspect arrested near Spencer (Sioux City Journal)

Murder suspect arrested near Spencer

By Molly Montag
mmontag@siouxcityjournal.com

SPENCER, Iowa -- Clay County authorities say a man arrested near Spencer, Iowa, for being in the country illegally is wanted in Florida for attempted first-degree murder.

According to a Clay County Sheriff's Office statement issued Friday, a deputy stopped a white Ford Econoline van at 9:55 p.m. Wednesday for speeding on U.S. Highway 71 north of Spencer.

After finding the driver's license was suspended, the deputy determined each of the 12 people in the van was in the country without proper documentation.

All 12 were taken to the Clay County Jail in Spencer, and police determined their true identities.

Officers found that one of the men, Mauricio Ruiz-Matus, was wanted on an Aug. 18, 2003, arrest warrant for attempted first-degree murder in St. Lucie County, Fla.

Ruiz-Matus, 27, reported that he lived on West Fifth Street in Spencer.

According to the statement, the warrant states Ruiz-Matus planned to kill a person with a knife in Fort Pierce, Fla.

An official with the Clay County Jail said Ruiz-Matus, who fled from a $75,000 bond in Florida, was being held Friday without bond in the Spencer facility.

Aguiles Tomayo-Cruz, the driver of the van, and occupant Martin Tello-Vidana, were picked up Wednesday by agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The other nine people in the van were released, the statement said, after immigration officials said they would not be held for deportation.