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Breaking News
Oct. 21, 2008
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Police reveal Friday arrest in kidnapping of 6-year-old boy

By BRIAN HAYNES
REVIEW-JOURNAL

Las Vegas police Tuesday revealed the arrest of a man in connection with the kidnapping of 6-year-old Cole Puffinburger.

But police would not talk about Jose Lopez-Buelna's connection to the kidnapping or why his arrest was disclosed four days after the fact.


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    • The 48-year-old was arrested Saturday after a search of his northeast Las Vegas home turned up an unregistered .22-caliber handgun. He was scheduled to appear this morning in North Las Vegas Justice Court on one count of illegal gun possession.

    Officers initially detained Lopez-Buelna Friday evening during a traffic stop. He was taken to University Medical Center after complaining of chest pains. Detectives later booked him in absentia at the Clark County Detention Center, according to an arrest report.

    Lopez-Buelna's arrest was not his first.

    He and two other men were arrested in February 1997 by San Bernardino County sheriff's deputies in Barstow, Calif., on drug possession and transportation charges. Three months later, Lopez-Buelna pleaded guilty to transporting a controlled substance and was sentenced to two years in state prison, according to the San Bernardino County district attorney's office.

    Federal officials deported Lopez-Buelna to Mexico in 2003, according to the arrest report.

    Las Vegas police and federal authorities continued their search for Jesus Gastelum, a Mexican citizen who also used the name Ferdinand Gastelum.

    Police called him a person of interest and have not identified his role in Cole's kidnapping last week.

    Cole was abducted Oct. 15 from the home shared by his mother and her fiance. Two or three Hispanic men posed as police officers to get inside the house on Cherry Grove Avenue and tie up the two adults with plastic zip ties, police said.

    They took the boy when they couldn't find money in the house, police said.

    Authorities believe Cole's kidnapping was intended to send a message to his maternal grandfather, Clemens Fred Tinnemeyer, 51, for stealing millions of dollars from drug dealers.

    Tinnemeyer, who was arrested Friday in California on a material witness warrant, appeared Monday in federal court in Riverside, Calif. U.S. Magistrate Oswald Parada ordered him and his girlfriend, Terri Leavy, 42, detained and turned over to the U.S. Marshals Service.

    The two will be brought to Las Vegas, where they will remain in custody as material witnesses. Under federal law, they can be held for a reasonable amount of time until a disposition is taken or they testify under oath. Leavy and Tinnemeyer have not been charged in the case.

    It is believed that the grandfather took millions of dollars from a Mexican drug cartel, according to sources.

    FBI agents throughout the Western United States and Mexico City have been involved in the investigation.

    Contact reporter Brian Haynes at bhaynes@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0281.

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    workerbee wrote on October 23, 2008 11:01 PM: He should be on a no bail detainer with ICE.Every illegal alien is a criminal and should be deported.At least he will serve some time in prison for his reentry, even the illegal hugging sheriff won't be able to stop it.
    Calling people racist because over 30% of our Hispanic population is illegal and were sick of it, sorry I'm just want to leave my children something before these parasites turn this whole country into a third world country.


    D Jones wrote on October 21, 2008 09:32 PM: Hmmm, deported in 2003 and yet here he is wreaking havoc by breaking the law. He among others. Props to ICE for doing their job. Our tax dollars at work.


    MF wrote on October 21, 2008 08:35 PM: WOW!!! How many racists and Ignorant people we have that live in Las Vegas a big melting pot of many races...Grow up people if your going to leave comments,read where it states(That's if you know how to read) to only leave comments that relate to the actual story!! Nobody wants to hear Ignorant Racist comments...Go somewhere else to vent!!!


    mgh wrote on October 21, 2008 02:51 PM: Come on now. Do You really think the State knows the difference between legal and Illegal. Gosh You make me laugh.


    Whitey wrote on October 21, 2008 02:50 PM: And the charge of just being a Beaner...


    Due process... wrote on October 21, 2008 02:14 PM: The guy has a conviction that prohibits him from from possessing a firearm. At this point, they only have that charge against him, hense, the $3,000 bail.

    Look out for other charges down the line, if he was involved in the kidnapping, and a host of issues.


    Pro Legal wrote on October 21, 2008 01:47 PM: By "PROHIBITED PERSON" do they mean ILLEGAL ALIEN?


    TimeRanger wrote on October 21, 2008 01:34 PM: $3,000 bail? THAT'S ALL?


    DeportNOW wrote on October 21, 2008 01:20 PM: Let me take a wild guess: an illegal?????