ROSARITO BEACH ? All Lex Miles wanted to do, he said, was film sexy, funny footage of young Americans on spring break in this seaside community of
90,000.
Then opportunity knocked ? quite literally ? on March 26, when city police officers came to the door of the house that Miles and his crew were
renting. A silly story suddenly turned serious, and now Rosarito Beach's police department confronts accusations of corruption and a scandal dubbed
"Videogate" by the local weekly Ecos de Rosarito.
As a camera secretly recorded the action, the armed and uniformed policemen came into the house about 4:30 a.m., rounding up Miles and his friends,
asking about drugs and underage girls. The officers agreed to leave only after he handed over $6,000 in rolled-up $20 bills, the 41-year-old Oxnard
resident claims.
"This is what's going to make the project," Miles said this week of the nearly eight-minute video of his encounter with Rosarito Beach police. "This
ridiculous set of circumstances made me a documentary filmmaker."
His footage is fueling Rosarito's own version of videotaped corruption scandals that are rocking Mexico. In recent weeks, a video showing a
businessman handing bags of dollars to Mexico City officials has caused serious damage to the administration of Mayor Andr?s L?pez Obrador, often
mentioned as a presidential hopeful in Mexico's 2006 election.
Rosarito Beach Mayor Luis Enrique D?az Felix went on the offensive this week, suggesting that Miles may well have provoked the entire incident. If
Miles' allegations can be proved, the officers will be punished, the mayor said; if not, the city intends to bring defamation charges "against someone
who seeks to twist the law for economic benefit."
Miles' business card lists him as executive producer and director of "Hard R," the movie project that brought him to Rosarito in the first place; as
originally conceived, it had no script, just comical situations involving spring breakers unwittingly interacting with actors. In Miles' words, it was
to be "a sexy spring-break movie that was supposed to combine elements of 'burro' with elements of MTV's 'Real World.' "
Miles' moviemaking credentials are slim. He said he is a former stockbroker and personal trainer who moved to Southern California from the East Coast
14 years ago and was bitten by the movie bug. A previous project, dubbed "One Bad Day," about a janitor who becomes a killer, has never found a
bidder.
"Unfortunately, we made the mistake of not having proper sound," Miles said.
His Rosarito tape shows police officers walking through the front door of a house, and its residents being ordered to put their hands up. "I never had
anyone point a loaded machine gun at my face before," a man is heard saying in English.
At one point, the camera is carried upstairs and placed on a bed. A policeman's voice says, "Right here, you have some drugs." Miles is heard to
answer: "I, me, have no drugs. . . . You can do a blood test on me."
The video does not show any money changing hands.
Miles said he and about a dozen others were staying at the house, overlooking the ocean on V?a de las Olas, which he had rented for $3,000 a month.
Encounters with Rosarito Beach police happened soon after he came to town, Miles said. He was stopped twice by agents for traffic violations, and
directly paid them a $45 fee each time to avoid having to go to the police station for a $67 ticket.
Miles said that during the group's first encounter with police March 24, officers threatened to seize the parked vehicles of several people who were
waiting outside for Miles to arrive with the house key early in the morning. The officers agreed to leave after being paid $500, Miles said.
The second encounter came March 26, according to Miles, when several members of the crew were gathered in the living room after a night of videotaping
at Papas & Beer, a nightspot popular with spring breakers. They were taping their conversation when police knocked.
"One of the guys videotaping the conversation just prior to that puts the camera on a table and secretly records the whole thing," Miles said.
He said he was separated from the group. "They start saying, 'We think you have underage girls; we think you have drugs; we want to see all the
tapes.' "
Miles said the officers then took him to an upstairs bedroom and told him they would arrest everyone. He said that's when he began bargaining with the
English-speaking officer, offering money.
"I brought it up, because they'd been harassing us all week long," Miles said. "I was able to negotiate it to $6,000."
Investigators for the Baja California Attorney General's Office and Rosarito Beach's internal-affairs office are poring over the tape as they look
into Miles' claims. Four police officers have been identified. If the allegations can be proved, the officers face dismissal from the force as well as
jail time.
But for now, they are still working members of Rosarito Beach's 125-member police department. The four men ? Supervisor Mario Herrera S?nchez,
Assistant Chief Carlos S?nchez, Commercial Police Supervisor Francisco Castro and Officer Cristi?n Javier Peralta L?pez ? admit they are on the tape.
But they say they went to the house only in response to a neighbor's complaint about loud music.
All four have denied that they took $6,000. Fernando Serrano Garc?a, Rosarito's director of public safety, says he needs more evidence if he is to
take any action. He also wonders whether Miles cares more about making a video than seeking justice.
"We believe that the gentleman prepared the situation for commercial purposes," Serrano said. "I am not protecting the policeman, but I need more
proof in order to reach a conclusion."
Others are saying the incident points to a potential case of police corruption in Rosarito.
"This shames us, because we live here, and it's our community, and our police force," said former Rosarito Mayor Hugo Torres Chabert, owner of the
Rosarito Beach Hotel and president of the Business Coordinating Council. "When we finally see his video, and see it completely, then we'll have a
better idea of who's telling the truth." Dave - 4-20-2004 at 08:21 PM
I LOVE this and I would LOVE to see the tape.
I can just hear their defense:
Are you going to believe me or those lying eyes of yours?
?SEIS MIL D?LARES!
Oso - 4-21-2004 at 02:34 PM
Either: a) Inflation has really hit standard corruption hard, b) this guy has more money than brains and could have gotten off a lot cheaper, or c)
the actual mordida was less and he's stretching it for a variety of reasons.Dave - 4-21-2004 at 10:11 PM
Oh, so like if it was only 600 or 60 that would be OK?
I have little tea and sympathy for anyone in this case.
Stephanie Jackter - 4-21-2004 at 11:02 PM
There was untrustworthy scum on both sides of that transaction. May they all rot. - Stephanie
Cheap budget for a new reality show
Gypsy Jan - 4-26-2004 at 05:48 PM
That is MHO thoughts.
For a little less than 15k (haven't done any serious counting) this so-called filmmaker aka bottom feeder creates some noise and excitement in the
small community of Rosarito, then attracts the predators by throwing chum otherwise known to these guys as money.
Turn on cameras, start dreaming of great riches generated by never underestimating the appetite of the great American audience for horror stories from
south of the border.
The trouble is...
Mike Humfreville - 4-26-2004 at 06:20 PM
that he didn't get the GOOD STUFF of tape!Margie - 4-26-2004 at 08:03 PM
This makes me sad, because the Rosarito Police Officers have always had a pretty good reputation, and have helped us many times, unlike the Ensenada
Cops.
Perhaps we should all just hold our breath and let the other side of the story come out, afterall, the "victim" seems kind of creepy.
Sandra usually follows up her stories, hopefully she will do the same here.
And while we're at it, what about the LNG Companies that provided the City of Rosarito with new vehicles? Maybe someone should cover that one,for
sure.JESSE - 4-27-2004 at 11:20 AM
This is the land of NOTHING HAPPENS, that means that regardless of the evidence, they wont get a real punishment from what they did.Dave - 4-27-2004 at 04:32 PM
Quote:
Originally posted by Margie
the Rosarito Police Officers have always had a pretty good reputation
With the Mafioso perhaps. This area, from TJ to Ensenada is corrupt to the core. Everyone, I repeat EVERYONE is on the take.
That's pretty funny
FrankO - 4-27-2004 at 05:40 PM
I had a little issue once w/a stolen truck and happened to have been somewhat friendly w/a few local businessmen and they said whatever you do don't
deal w/the cops here. Well, I disregarded thier advice and lo' n behold they were accusing me of stealing my own truck for financial gains. After
things got tense I asked to use the head and quickly got my ash out of there w/my thumb out. The folks who picked me up got pulled over in TJ and the
cop tried to site (for $60) them for not enough seatbelts. I told them that was total bullchiite and to not pay. I then badged him and he said as a
professional courtesy that he'd accept $20. I was peeed enough to give him some chiite since the folks who picked me up had no more cash (having spent
it all on pottery) and I was down to my last 20. They freaked out about going to the station so I ponied up. Hey, but at least they took me to my
front door!
It's all fun and games!
[Edited on 4-28-2004 by FrankO]Margie - 4-27-2004 at 07:03 PM
Oh, darn it! It's just that we have never experienced anything bogus with the Rosarito cops, infact they nailed the guys who were in the process of
stealing the truck, and helped us.
I always wave to them when they are directing traffic in town for the kids.
I thought that you weren't supposed to pay the mordido, and just go to the Court. In Ensenada, they tried to get me for running a red light, which I
didn't do, and I
insisted we go to the Police Station. They let me go!!!
By paying, aren't you just reinforcing the corruption?
It was funny in Rosarito, because they had to transport us over to the DA's in this big souped up cruiser, and I said, 'Heh, man, let's just keep
goin'south to Mulege". They looked at each other and scratched their heads and for a second there, I thought, holy chite, they're going to go for it.
FrankO - 4-27-2004 at 07:16 PM
Quote:
By paying, aren't you just reinforcing the corruption?
Yes!JESSE - 4-27-2004 at 10:09 PM
Heres a little well known secret around here, The Tijuana and Rosarito PD ARE the mafia.
Who is to Blame?
The Gull - 4-27-2004 at 10:12 PM
George Bush?
Seems like, from the lefties, he is the source of the all world's problems.
How about adverse weather? You could work that into his list of crimes against the world, can't you?
Margie - 4-28-2004 at 12:11 AM
Ouch, Gull !
I don't know, but I think the lyrics to one of his favorite songs goes;
".. I am a Tejano, I don't speaka no Mexicano..."
I think Freddie Fender plays the accordian
on that one . The Texas Tornados, one of my favs!!
Thank you, Margie
The Gull - 4-28-2004 at 07:09 AM
...for listing yet another crime against society - GWB is from Texas.
Ketchup Kerry in '04. The man for the downtrodden...
These are the issues which will decide an election for US President for voters?
Makes one want to relocate to the Sudan.
Accordian Player
Margie - 4-28-2004 at 02:00 PM
I apologize, the accordian player
on "He Is A Tejano" is the one and only
FLACO JIMENEZ.
