Texas Rancher Freed
From Jail In Mexico

CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico —(AP)— Mexican authorities have released a Lubbock rancher who had been imprisoned since Feb. 10 for unwittingly taking a rifle across the border, his attorneys say.

Johnny Bob Carruth's lawyers would not comment further on his imprisonment or his release Wednesday.

"I can confirm that he's out," said Kathleen Walker, who said she did not have the family's permission to say anything else about the case.

Carruth, 50, who had traveled to El Paso for a rodeo, was arrested on a weapons charge shortly after crossing the Bridge of the Americas into Ciudad Juarez.

Mexican authorities found he had a .22-caliber rifle in his truck. It is illegal to take a firearm into Mexico without prior permission.

Carruth's 16 year-old daughter also was taken into custody, but was released the same day after a visit by an official from the U.S. Consulate in Juarez. Charges against her were dropped.

(Over the years, a number of rural Texans have found to their dismay that even a loose round or two of birdshot in the glove box or rattling around behind the pickup seat can land them in the juzgado in Mexico; the price of freedom is usually a hefty financial contribution, plus forfeiture of the vehicle and whatever other possessions they had with them at the time — Ed.)