Mendoza in custody Captured

without

incident

By RON LARSEN

Journal Staff Writer

NEW ULM -- Felipe Mendoza, 27, who had three eluded law enforcement officers since Friday, was captured without incident Sunday night in a house 4 miles north of New Ulm.

Mendoza was being sought on an arrest warrant issued for suspicion of domestic assault and auto theft as result of an incident Thursday night.

"Acting on a citizen's tip, Mendoza was apprehended at 9:45 p.m. at a residence in Nicollet County. He offered no resistance. He is now in the Brown County jail," New Ulm Police Sergeant Paul Kalow said.

Authorities had searched a wooded area behind the Target store just off 18th South Street earlier in the evening as a result of another citizen's tip.

Mendoza first was spotted early Sunday morning walking along 20th South Street near Casey's convenience mart by a store clerk.

"The call came in at 6:35 a.m.," Commander Erv Weinkauf said. "Officers were on the scene minutes later and observed him running into the woods near the New Ulm Building Center."

A combined strike force team was quickly assembled, Weinkauf said, including Nicollet and Brown counties' sheriff's deputies, NUPD officers and reserve officers, State Patrol troopers, the Tri-County Emergency Response Unit, a Minnesota Department of Natural Resources conservation officer and K-9 units from St. Peter, Watonwan County Sheriff's office and the ER unit.

A State Patrol helicopter equipped with a video camera with heat-sensing capability also joined in the search.

In all, about 50 officers were on the ground, Weinkauf said. He joined a state trooper and the two pilots in the helicopter to direct the search which was called off at about 11:15 a.m. when authorities were confident that Mendoza was no longer in the woods.

"He must have slipped out of there before we had the search completely organized," Weinkauf speculated. "At least we know he is still in the area."

The morning ground search covered the area between 20th South and Shag Road and between Bridge Street and the river, "including the junkyard," Weinkauf explained. The helicopter search covered everything down to the quarry.

Mendoza first eluded capture when a combined strike force of city police, Brown County Sheriff's deputies, Minnesota State Troopers and the Tri-County Emergency Response Unit surrounded his residence off Water Street on Friday. When officers stormed the house, they found only a couple pieces of furniture.