Private James Gonzalez, 24, missing since July 11, 2009, Laredo, TX [FOUND SAFE]

[Audie]

FBI, Army Searching For Abducted Local Soldier

Updated: July 20, 2009 12:07 AM CDT

ROBSTOWN - A family in Robstown is desperate to find their relative who's a soldier in the Army.

The family says they last saw 24-year-old James Gonzalez a week ago, but where he is now is a mystery.

After a series of bizarre phone calls from the Army and the FBI, the family fears he's in danger.

As the Gonzalez family looked through a photo album of pictures, the mood in their Robstown home was bittersweet. The family hadn't seen or heard from James since last Saturday.

"He was going to go to Laredo to hang out with some friends and that he'd see us later, but that was it," Jame's brother, J. C. Gonzalez, said.

The Gonzalez family says James has been in the military for a year and a half now and had been stationed in Fort Hood for the last six months.

The family says after James didn't report for duty on Monday, they received a phone call from his sergeant. Soon after, the family says they received an even stranger call.

"We received a phone call from the FBI and they're the ones that brought it to our attention that he had been abducted and that there had been a ransom and they were beginning to put everything together to start an investigation," J. C. said.

The family says what the suspected kidnappers were requesting was even more shocking.

"The ransom was, one was asking for $100,000 and the other one was for the U.S. troops to be moved out of the border," J. C. explained.

As the Criminal Division of Army continues to investigate what's happening with James, they're not releasing much information to the media about their tactics, other than that James hasn't reported to work.

The family says they believe James is alive, but they're hoping and still praying for his safe return home.

"With James missing and not knowing if he's OK or not knowing if he's being tortured or hurt, it drives me crazy," J. C. said

Online Reporter: Crystal Jenkins

http://www.kristv.com/Global/story.asp?S=10752298&nav=menu192_2

[Audie]

Army leads investigation into soldier's whereabouts
By Mary Ann Cavazos (Contact), Elaine Marsilio (Contact)
Monday, July 20, 2009

CORPUS CHRISTI — A Fort Hood soldier from Robstown missing since last week is awaiting trial on two misdemeanor charges out of Nueces County.

The U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command is leading an investigation into the whereabouts of Pfc. James Gonzalez, who didn’t report back to duty July 13.

Gonzalez, 24, with the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment at Fort Hood, has been missing since last week after family members say he made a visit to Laredo.

Nueces County court records show James Gonzalez has two pending misdemeanor charges, assault causing bodily injury and interference with an emergency call.

The charges stem from allegations that Gonzalez used a rock to break his fiancée’s car windshield on Dec. 28 and then tried to keep her from calling 911. He was arrested that same day and bonded out of jail.

Court officials said a warrant for his arrest could be issued if he fails to show up for his next court appearance on Sept. 10. His trial is set for Sept. 14.

His Houston-based attorney, Chip Lewis couldn’t be reached Monday for comment.

His brother, J.C. Gonzalez has said he received a phone call from the Army on July 13 asking whether he had seen his brother because he hadn’t reported to duty that day.

The brother has said a few hours later, a Waco FBI agent called saying the Army had received a phone call that his brother had been abducted, and the kidnappers wanted $100,000 ransom and U.S. troops removed from the border.

James Gonzalez’s mother, Rose Gonzalez said the family has received daily calls from Waco FBI agents and the Army reporting the investigation is ongoing.

“They are doing all that they can,” she said. “It’s reassuring to me.”

She said that any news is good news, as long as authorities can find her son.

“We keep going with the faith that he is safe,” she said. “I refuse to think anything else.”

Christopher Grey, director of public affairs for the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command, confirmed investigators are looking into James Gonzalez’s whereabouts, but wouldn’t elaborate. Grey said the Army is following all leads.

http://www.caller.com/news/2009/jul/20/army-leads-investigation-into-soldiers/

[Audie]

I wonder if he disappeared on purpose to avoid jail time, jmo. Although military personnel would be a good target down on the border. Not sure on this one.

[CynthiaMackMOM]

Quite curious....

Deb

[PatC]

I wonder if he disappeared on purpose to avoid jail time, jmo. Although military personnel would be a good target down on the border. Not sure on this one.

I hate to admit it but that thought crossed my mind too, but that would be incredibly dumb when the article says he's only facing misdemeanor charges. I suspect trying to scam the Army and FBI would be a lot more serious charge.

I hope he's found soon, safe and sound.

[Audie]

I hate to admit it but that thought crossed my mind too, but that would be incredibly dumb when the article says he's only facing misdemeanor charges. I suspect trying to scam the Army and FBI would be a lot more serious charge.

I hope he's found soon, safe and sound.Oh yeah .. you're right.. I see now they are only misdemeanors. Thanks Pat.

[Amusedtdth]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,534370,00.html


http://www.foxnews.com/images/547055/1_61_320giv.jpg


Kidnap or hoax?

That's the question surrounding the disappearance of an Army private stationed in south Texas.

Pfc. James Gonzalez, 24, was last seen July 11 at his mother's house near Corpus Christi, when he told his family he was heading with friends to the border town of Laredo, his older brother said.

On July 13 — the day Gonzalez was to return to base — his commander called looking for him, J.C. Gonzalez told FOX News on Wednesday.

The same day, the FBI phoned the family telling them James had been kidnapped and was being held for ransom, his brother said.

The caller demanded $100,000 and the withdrawal of all troops from the border, J.C. Gonzalez told FOX.

"We received a phone call from the Army asking if we had heard or seen from James," he said. "A few hours after that we received a phone call from the FBI that he had been abducted and there was a ransom for him. ... That's what's being told to us."

He said his brother was familiar with Laredo and had not mentioned any plans to cross into Mexico, directly across the Rio Grande. He said authorities have been tight-lipped on any developments in the case south of the border.

"That's being kept from us," Gonzalez said. "They say they're working on intelligence from people in Mexico."

The family has been told that for the past week, James Gonzalez's cell phone has gone straight to voicemail, he has not logged into his MySpace Web page and authorities have not been able to track his car, a 2006 BMW, which was fitted with a tracking device.

The Army and the FBI are confirming little about the case. The FBI is referring questions to the Army, which is leading the investigation.

• LIVESHOTS BLOG: What Happened to Private Gonzalez?

Related StoriesMissing Soldier Kidnapped, Held for Ransom, Brother Says
If Gonzalez was going to take off, "he would have told somebody," his brother told The Associated Press Tuesday. "It's not like him at all."

Gonzalez was awaiting trial this fall on misdemeanor charges stemming from an argument with his girlfriend. His brother said that situation was being handled and would have been no reason for him to disappear, and dismissed the theory that James would have fled because of the dispute — which involves allegations about rocks thrown from a vehicle.

"That's little stuff. That's misdemeanor charges that will either be dismissed" or carry a minor fine or other light penalty, J.C. Gonzalez said on FOX.

Christopher Grey, chief public affairs officer for the U.S. Army Criminal Investigations Command in northern Virginia, said the Army was cooperating with local, state and federal law enforcement agencies in the search for Gonzalez.

Grey said the Army would not discuss details of the case, including whether it received a ransom call. The Army had issued an advisory in the border region asking people to be on the lookout for Gonzalez and to contact local law enforcement with information on his whereabouts, Grey said.

The family says it has been frustrated by the Army's response.

"We don't feel the Army is taking it as seriously as we are," J.C. Gonzalez told the AP.

James Gonzalez's decision to join the Army about a year and a half ago surprised his family, but they supported the decision, according to J.C. Gonzalez. It seemed to be a good change for him.

"He was pretty happy," his brother said. "He had a house, a car and had taken that step to manhood. He was enjoying himself."

About 575 National Guard troops remain on the border, but thousands who had been patrolling the area withdrew last year.

[sarahhod]

Source: Missing Texas Soldier Is 'Disturbed,' Has Called Since Disappearing

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Investigators are trying to sort through the mystery of what happened to 24-year old Pfc. James Gonzalez

A person who claims to know a missing Texas soldier raised questions about his mental state Wednesday, saying Pfc. James Gonzalez is "disturbed" and has called him several times since his disappearance last week.

The source, who spoke to FOX News on condition of anonymity, said Gonzalez recently had been bragging about a promotion first to lieutenant and then to major, was spotted driving a new Mercedes 300 and boasted he'd bought a big house in Laredo, Texas.

The latest claims cast further doubt on whether the 24-year-old Army private's disappearance is an abduction for $100,000 ransom — as the family says authorities have told them — or a hoax.


http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,534370,00.html

[Nut44x4]

Missing soldier found in Texas border town

Updated: July 23, 2009 08:54 AM EDT

LAREDO, Texas (AP) — A Fort Hood-based soldier who was reported as a possible kidnap victim was found unharmed in a Texas border town.

Spokesman Christopher Grey with the U.S. Army Criminal Investigations Command told The Associated Press Thursday there are no indications that Pfc. James Gonzalez was abducted.

Grey says Gonzalez was taken into custody Wednesday night during a traffic stop in Laredo, after leaving a relative's house. Grey says Gonzalez will be turned over to the Army.

The Gonzalez family had said they last saw him on July 11 at his mother's house in Robstown, near Corpus Christi.

Two days later, the FBI told the family that the Army received a call saying Gonzalez had been kidnapped and a $100,000 ransom was demanded.

http://www.khq.com/global/story.asp?s=10776573

[Nut44x4]

Army: No indication Texas soldier was kidnapped

Updated: 07/23/09 3:32 pm
BROWNSVILLE, Texas --
The Army said little Thursday about a soldier who disappeared for more than a week and was reported as a possible kidnap victim before being apprehended in an upscale neighborhood in the border city of Laredo.

Pfc. James Andrew Gonzalez, 24, a soldier based at Fort Hood in Texas, was reported missing more than a week ago. But he was found unharmed and there was no indication he ever was abducted, U.S. Army Criminal Investigations Command spokesman Christopher Grey said in an e-mail Thursday.

Fort Hood released a statement identifying Gonzalez as a member of the 4th Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment who entered the Army in April 2008. The brief statement confirmed his apprehension Wednesday in Laredo and added only that the investigation continued. Fort Hood did not respond to questions about what possible discipline Gonzalez could face.

The FBI and Laredo police spent nearly two days watching a house in an upscale Laredo neighborhood, where houses range up to $500,000, after receiving a tip the missing soldier was there, said Laredo Police spokesman Joe Baeza.

Gonzalez emerged from the house alone around 9:30 p.m. Wednesday and climbed into his silver BMW. Police followed him in an unmarked car and pulled Gonzalez over. He initially denied being the man they were looking for, Baeza said. The police did not detain anyone else from the house, Baeza said.

Gonzalez's brother, J.C. Gonzalez, said earlier this week that the family last saw the soldier July 11 at his mother's house in Robstown, near Corpus Christi. He told his family he was headed to Laredo that afternoon to hang out with friends before returning to base July 13. The Army contacted the family July 13 saying Gonzalez had not reported for duty.

Later that day, the FBI told the family that the Army received a ransom call saying Gonzalez had been abducted and that the caller demanded $100,000 and the withdrawal of U.S. troops from the border, J.C. Gonzalez said.

About 575 National Guard troops remain on the border, but thousands that had been patrolling the area withdrew last year.

The FBI interviewed Gonzalez at their Laredo office Wednesday night and he was later taken to the Webb County jail, Baeza said. A jail employee said Gonzalez was released to the FBI Thursday morning.

Gonzalez could face state charges in addition to discipline from the Army, but no decision had been made, Baeza said. The Webb County District Attorney's office did not return a call for comment.

Gonzalez's family learned of his apprehension late Wednesday night.

"I'm really relieved," Rose Gonzalez, the soldier's mother, said. "That's all I prayed for - for him to be safe."

By late Thursday afternoon, Gonzalez said she still had not spoken to her son or received additional information about who he was staying with in Laredo or why he had disappeared.

"We weren't going to be allowed to see him," she said. "We were going to be allowed a phone call."

Gonzalez was charged earlier this year with misdemeanor counts of assault and interfering with an emergency call for what J.C. Gonzalez said was a dispute with his girlfriend. He said his brother was scheduled to go on trial for those charges in September.
http://media.thenewstribune.com/smedia/2009/07/23/18/Texas_Soldier_Found.sff.highlight.prod_affiliate.5 .jpg

Webb County Sheriff's Office AP Photo
This July 22, 2009 booking photo released by the Webb County, Texas, Sheriff's office shows Pfc James Gonzalez, 24, who was taken into custody Wednesday night during a traffic stop in Laredo, Texas. Gonzalez was reported as a possible kidnap victim more than a week ago but was found unharmed and there was no indication he was ever abducted, an Army official said Thursday.
http://www.thenewstribune.com/Tacoma/24hour/front/story/819710.html

[Nut44x4]

Army Investigating Robstown Soldier for AWOL
Story Updated: Jul 23, 2009 at 7:00 PM CDT

ROBSTOWN--An Army soldier from Robstown who went missing for 12 days.Is in the Webb County Jail in Laredo tonight after having been arrested late yesterday.

The family of Private First Class James Gonzalez first reported that he'd been abducted in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, but now, federal authorities believe Gonzalez was AWOL,. Absent without Leave, and that he was also impersonating an officer

Authorities believe Private Gonzalez was leading a double life in the Army. He told friends he was a Ranger, served time in the war and an officer, but in the end, officials said that was false.

They had the house under surveillance and believed from the start Gonzalez was away without leave, doubting he was abducted 12 days earlier and being held for a $100,000 ransom.

"The only thing we know is that he was found," said Rose Gonzalez, the soldier's mother. "That's he's going to go back to Fort Hood, no more no less."

His family didn't want to talk about the A.W.O.L. investigation and that he impersonated an Army officer.

We found a Coastal Bend man who talked to Gonzalez shortly after he was reportedly abducted on July 11th He showed us phone records of at least 15 phone calls and he talked to him on one occasion.

We aren't showing his face because the case is still under investigation.

"He didn't sound distressed or anything," said the man. "He was just upset about little things, but not like somebody had him captured or he was hurt anything."

Gonzalez told the man was a lieutentant when he first met him last December, then promoted to captain and then to major in nine month period. Gonzalez reported he was a personal assistant to a general at Fort Hood. The Army said that's all not true.

"He wore everything to show that he was that person as far as the uniform, the detail of the uniform or whatever officer he was presenting he was," the man said.

On his Myspace page, Gonzalez reported he was a import export executive in Laredo. He also went by a different name, Jaime Valdez Villarreal and used different names. Gonzalez told the man he served time in the warzone and that was only the beginning.

"James came out with so many stories that in the end you were almost like you look at him funny and said what are you saying?" the man said.

The family refused to comment about these stories or allegations.

"I tried to lead my children in the right direction," Gonzalez said. "If anybody who has children, you do the best you can teach them right from wrong. "

The military investigation is still ongoing and Gonzalez soon will be turned over to Fort Hood officials.

http://www.kiiitv.com/news/local/51526097.html

[Amusedtdth]

IMO - Psyche exam should be forthcoming. It's amazing what some people say and do to make themselve appear different and better. Sounds to me like James is a very unhappy person.
He's safe now and thats what matters but with the troubles coming ahead, I'd keep an eye on him. Locked up or not.

[Roamer]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090724/ap_on_re_us/us_texas_soldier_found

Texas soldier found unhurt charged with being AWOL

http://l.yimg.com/a/i/us/nws/p/ap_logo_106.png (http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/ap/brand/SIG=br2v03/*http://www.ap.org)




By CHRISTOPHER SHERMAN, Associated Press Writer Christopher Sherman, Associated Press Writer – Fri Jul 24, 6:03 pm ET



McALLEN, Texas – The Army has charged a soldier who disappeared for more than a week and was reported as a possible kidnap victim with being AWOL after he was found unharmed in a Texas border town.

Pfc. James Andrew Gonzalez, 24, a soldier based at Fort Hood in Texas, was taken into custody during a traffic stop in Laredo on Wednesday, more than a week after he was reported missing. The Army has said Gonzalez was not hurt and there are no indications that he was abducted.

He has since been charged with being AWOL. He was brought from Laredo on Thursday and booked into the Bell County Jail near Fort Hood early Friday. Base spokesman Bruce Zielsdorf said Gonzalez will be held at the county jail while awaiting trial because Fort Hood does not have a brig.

The jail said Gonzalez did not yet have a lawyer Friday.

Gonzalez's mother, Rose Gonzalez, said she spoke with her son by phone Thursday night. "He sounded tired but said he was doing OK," she said.
Asked if her son had offered any explanation for his disappearance, she said, "I don't think he was given a chance to. I only spoke to him for about two minutes."

Earlier this week, J.C. Gonzalez had said the FBI told the family that the Army received a ransom call on July 13 saying James Gonzalez had been abducted and that the caller demanded $100,000 and the withdrawal of U.S. troops from the border.

James Gonzalez was charged earlier this year with misdemeanor counts of assault and interfering with an emergency call for what his brother, J.C. Gonzalez, said was a dispute with his girlfriend. He said his brother was scheduled to go on trial for those charges in September.

[Nut44x4]

Texas soldier pleads guilty in kidnapping hoax

By ANGELA K. BROWN; Associated Press Writer
Published: 10/02/09 9:12 am

FORT HOOD, Texas --
A soldier accused of spinning a kidnapping hoax to cover his absence without leave from Fort Hood in Texas has pleaded guilty to desertion, making false official statements and obstruction of justice.

Pfc. James Andrew Gonzalez pleaded guilty Friday in a Fort Hood military trial. He could be sentenced to more than 22 years' confinement and a dishonorable discharge.

The sentencing phase starts later Friday.

Gonzalez's brother had said the FBI told the family the Army received a July 13 ransom call. The caller said Gonzalez had been abducted and demanded $100,000 and the withdrawal of U.S. troops from the border. Gonzalez was arrested July 22 in Laredo during a traffic stop.

http://www.thenewstribune.com/apheadlines/nation/story/902018.html

[Nut44x4]

FORT HOOD, Texas | A soldier who tried to fake his kidnapping by a Mexican drug cartel after he went AWOL was sentenced Friday to three years in prison and dishonorably discharged.
As part of a deal in which Pfc. James Andrew Gonzalez pleaded guilty to desertion, violating a general order and obstruction-of-justice charges, a military judge, not a jury, decided his sentence. The plea agreement also guaranteed Gonzalez the lesser of two sentences - the three-year term or the judge's recommendation, five years.

Gonzalez told the judge he went to Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, in July after a three-day pass to attend a court hearing in Corpus Christi. Gonzalez said he had no intention of returning to the Army, so he sent a text message to a soldier demanding $100,000 and the removal of border security, claiming to be a Mexican drug cartel member who had kidnapped Gonzalez. He was captured 10 days later .
http://www6.lexisnexis.com/publisher/EndUser?Action=UserDisplayFullDocument&orgId=574&topicId=100020825&docId=l:1049915466&start=3

[sarahhod]

Local soldier gets 36 months in military prison

http://images.townnews.com/recordstar.com/content/articles/2009/10/09/local_news/local01.jpg


By Tim Olmeda

Friday, October 9, 2009 3:17 PM CDT
A Robstown soldier was sentenced to 36 months in a military prison after pleading guilty to various charges that included failure to report to duty and impersonating a commissioned officer.

Pfc. James Gonzalez pled guilty at an October 2 general court martial held at Fort Hood in San Antonio for his disappearance July 11 that the soldier's family initially claimed was the result of a kidnapping.

The soldier's brother, Jose Cruz Gonzalez, told authorities that a ransom call was made to his mother's home demanding $100,000 cash and the removal of all U.S. troops from the U.S./Mexico border.

However, after a lengthy investigation, Gonzalez was found on July 22 and taken into custody in Laredo during a traffic stop. He later confessed to investigators that he fabricated the kidnapping story.


A military judge sentenced Gonzalez, who had been assigned to the 4th Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment at Fort Hood since September 2008, to a reduction in grade, total forfeiture of all pay and allowances and a dishonorable discharge.

Having faced five years in a military prison, Gonzalez's guilty plea will instead have him serving three years.

The following are the charges Gonzalez pleaded guilty to, according to the officials with the Fort Hood Public Affairs Office:

Two counts of failure to report for duty (Art. 86, UCMJ)

One count of making a false official statement (Art. 107)

Three counts of impersonating a commissioned officer (Art. 134)

Two counts of wearing a Ranger tab and Special Forces tab wrongfully and without authority (Art. 134)

One count of desertion terminated by apprehension (Art. 85)

One count of violation a lawful general order by wrongfully travelling outside the united States without proper approval (Art. 92)

One count of transmitting in interstate commerce a communication demanding a ransom for a kidnapped person (Art. 134)

One count of wrongfully endeavoring to impede a criminal investigation.

http://www.recordstar.com/articles/2009/10/09/local_news/local01.txt