John Willoughby: Greene Publishing, Inc.
The Madison County Sheriff's Office made a weekend arrest after being notified by a Central Florida law enforcement agency to be on the lookout for the subject of a warrant who was believed to be attempting to leave the country.
According to Major David Harper of the Madison County Sheriff's Office (MCSO), Madison County Communications received a teletype from Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office (HCSO) on Saturday, Aug. 17, at approximately 8:30 p.m., in an attempt to locate a passenger bus destined for Mexico.
The information received indicated that 26-year-old Jorge Santiz-Patistan was wanted by the HCSO for lewd and lascivious molestation of a victim under the age of 12. HCSO informed local authorities that they believed Santiz-Patistan was a passenger on the bus and further information detailed that the bus was last known to be in the area of the Interstate 10/Interstate 75 interchange in Columbia County.
At approximately 9:12 p.m., Sgt. Eddie Brannon observed a bus, matching the description given, traveling westbound on I-10, in Madison County. Sgt. Brannon stopped the bus near mile marker 246 on I-10 and boarded the bus with additional deputies.
Within minutes, Santiz-Patistan was identified as a passenger and was arrested on the Hillsborough County warrant without incident. Santiz-Patistan was transported to the Madison County Jail to await transport back to Hillsborough County.