Alleged Marine Corps deserter arrested at Brownsville bridge

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Leonardo Garcia

A man was arrested Thursday at the Gateway International Bridge after sheriff deputies found out he had an outstanding warrant for his desertion from the United States Marine Corps. 

Leonardo Garcia, 20, was arrested and transported to the Carrizales-Rucker Detention Center for processing, the Cameron County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release

Garcia’s warrant from the Marine Corps Absentee Collection Center (MCACC) was for the offense of military desertion, according to the release. That charge occurs when any member of the armed forces abandons a “unit, organization, or place of duty” without authority to do so, according to the United States Code.

“The mission of the MCACC is to investigate the location of deserters; establish and maintain liaison with law enforcement agencies to encourage their active participation in absentee and deserter apprehension efforts; initiate apprehensions; expedite notification procedures; and provide escorts for the purpose of transporting absentees, deserters and prisoners as directed by the Commandant of the Marine Corps,” the MCACC’s website stated