Former Fiesta Latina MKE Organizer, 41-year-old Jesse E. Fonseca Pleads Guilty To Felony Stalking And Misdemeanor Count To Intimidate A Witness In Waukesha County

Fonseca pleaded guilty to one count felony stalking, and a misdemeanor count to intimidate a witness in Waukesha County.

By H. Nelson Goodson 

Hispanic News Network U.S.A.

January 16, 2025

Waukesha, Wisconsin - On Thursday, Jesse E. Fonseca, 41, in a plea agreement with Waukesha County prosecutors pleaded guilty to one felony count for stalking and one misdemeanor count to intimidate a witness, and under the plead agreement, 4 other counts, one felony and three misdemeanor counts were dismissed, but read on the record.

A sentencing hearing was set for April 14, 2025. Fonseca is facing up to 3 years and 6 months in prison for felony stalking and up to $10,000 in fines, or both, and up to 9 months in prison and up to $10,000 in fines, or both for one misdemeanor count to intimidate a witness.

Fonseca, on Friday, confirmed to Hispanic News Network U.S.A. (HNNUSA) that he has sold the Sabor Tropical Restaurant and Rum Bar in the Southside of Milwaukee, including Fiesta Latina MKE.

90-year-old Félix Mantilla, Baseball Milwaukee Braves Legend Passed Away

Mantilla was an iconic Milwaukee Braves baseball legend and lived in Milwaukee.

By H. Nelson Goodson 

Hispanic News Network U.S.A.

January 15, 2025

Milwaukee, Wisconsin - On January 10, 2025, Félix Mantilla, 90, originally from Isabella, Puerto passed away in Milwaukee. Mantilla was well known for his baseball accomplishment. According to Mantilla's obituary, he was a pioneering figure in both Puerto Rican and Major League Baseball, passed away on January 10, 2025, at the age of 90. Known for his stellar career during the Golden Age of baseball in the United States and Puerto Rico and his deep commitment to nurturing the next generation of baseball talent, Mantilla's impact on the sport was felt far beyond the diamond.

Born on July 29, 1934, in Isabela, Puerto Rico to Juan Mantilla Vendrell and Natividad Lamela de Mantilla, Mantilla's early years in baseball were shaped by his time in the Puerto Rican Winter League, where he played professionally for the Caguas Criollos and the San Juan Senadores. He helped lead the Caguas team to multiple Puerto Rican League championships and one Caribbean League World Series Championship. Team success for Mantilla in Puerto Rico also included a World Amateur Baseball Championship in 1951. On an individual level, Mantilla played on multiple All Star teams, for over 50 years he held the record for most home runs in a single game with 3 and was inducted into the Puerto Rico Sports Hall of Fame, the Caguas Criollos Hall of Fame, and the Sports Hall of Fame in his hometown of Isabela. Moreover, his hometown erected a baseball stadium that is named in his honor.

Puerto Rican baseball definitely laid the foundation for a Major League Baseball career that spanned 11 seasons, including stints with the Milwaukee Braves, New York Mets, Boston Red Sox, Houston Astros and Chicago Cubs. A versatile infielder and outfielder, Mantilla was known for his steady bat, surprising power, exceptional quickness, great defense, and leadership. While in Milwaukee, Mantilla won two National League Championships and one World Series Championship. On an individual level Mantilla's best seasons were with the Boston Red Sox where he had a 30 home run season as a second baseman in 1964 and was selected an All-Star game starter in 1965. 

While his accomplishments on the field were many, Mantilla's legacy is rooted in his tireless dedication to youth baseball in Milwaukee and Isabela, Puerto Rico. Following his retirement from playing in 1968, he channeled his passion for the game into mentoring and developing young athletes. His passion was shared by a number of Latino leaders in Milwaukee, and together they created the Félix Mantilla Little League in 1972, working to provide children in the community with the opportunity to play baseball and learn important life lessons through the sport.

The Félix Mantilla Little League became a cornerstone of Milwaukee's youth baseball scene, offering coaching, training, and academic development initiatives to underprivileged children. Mantilla dedicated countless hours to the league helping young players refine their skills while teaching them the values of teamwork, discipline, perseverance, and academic focus. His commitment to developing young talent was not about creating future Major League stars, but  about providing a safe and supportive space for children to grow and excel in baseball and academics. In 2017 Cardinal Stritch University recognized Mantilla's commitment to youth baseball and academics by awarding him an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree.

In addition to his work in Milwaukee, Mantilla remained deeply connected to Puerto Rico, where he continued to influence the development of baseball at the grassroots level. His efforts to improve youth baseball in Puerto Rico were recognized throughout the island, as he served as both a coach and a mentor to young players who admired his career and his dedication to the sport.

Félix Mantilla's legacy lives on in the many players whose lives were changed by his mentorship, and by the Félix Mantilla Little League and the academic programs he supported, which continue to serve as a resource for children passionate about baseball and academics.

Baron Park in Milwaukee is where the Félix Mantilla Little League games take place every Summer, which are sponsored by the Journey House.

30-year-old Beatriz Villegas And 10-year-old Daughter Arrested For Retail Theft Of More Than $1,200 At Gurnee Mills In Illinois, Mother Charged

Gurnee police arrested Villegas and her 10-year-old daughter at Gurnee Mills after they left the Zumiez clothing store with merchandise they didn't purchase.

By H. Nelson Goodson 

Hispanics News Network U.S.A.

January 15, 2025

Gurnee, Illinois - On December 10, 2024, Gurnee police around 4:00 p.m. were called to the Gurnee Mills Mall at the 6100 block of W. Grand Ave. after three suspects including a 10-year-old girl were seen by store employees hiding merchandise and leaving without paying for it, at Zumiez, a clothing store at the mall. A Zumiez employee followed the shoplifters along with security mall guards, when police arrived at the scene, they were able to identify Beatriz Villegas, 30, and her 10-year-old daughter, both from Chicago.  Police were able to inspect a Home Goods bag the girl was carrying and a same brand bag Villegas was carrying, police recovered stolen merchandise from Zumiez and 4 other stores in mall totaling approximately $1,210. The third female suspect fled the scene and could not be located by police.

The girl told police that her mother had told her to steal merchandise. Villegas also confessed to police of stealing $800 of the merchandise found in their Home Goods bags.

Villegas was charged with felony retail theft and contributing to the delinquency of a minor, and released the same day, according to police.

Lake County State Assistant Attorney Mary Vukovich says, that Villegas and her group stole about $574 from Spencer's, $174 from the Lego store, $419 from the Gamesstop, $35 from VBH Toy Kiosk, and an unknown amount from Crocs and the Zumiez stores, totalling approximately $1,210.

The girl was released to a guardian and the Illinois Department of Children and Family were contacted about the theft crimes. 

Villegas appear in court on January 6, 2025 to face charges and was ordered not to have contact with the stores, and is scheduled for a preliminary status court hearing on February 4, according to court records.

If convicted, Villegas is facing from 2 to 5 years in prison for felony retail theft and up to $25,000 in repayment or restitution.

U.S. ICE Proposed Local Facility For Processing, Hold And Deportation In The 9th Aldermanic District In The Northside Of Milwaukee

Milwaukee residents in 9th Aldermanic District and surrounding areas will hold a public protest against the Department of Homeland Security proposed plan to house on the district a U.S. ICE facility to process, hold and deport undocumented immigrants.

By H. Nelson Goodson 

Hispanic News Network U.S.A.

January 14, 2025

Milwaukee, Wisconsin - In a press release by Alderwoman Larresa Taylor from the 9th Aldermanic District, she confirmed that she doesn't support a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (U.S.ICE) facility to process, hold and deport undocumented immigrants.

The U.S. ICE proposed facility in Milwaukee is being processed under the President Joe Biden (D) administration in preparation to facilitate the proposed mass deportations that 34-count convicted felon Donald J. Trump (R-MAGA) has promised to implement once he is sworned-in as U.S. President on January 20, 2025 in Washington,  D.C..

The DHS estimates the U.S. total of 11M of undocumented immigrants as of 2022. An estimated 70,000 undocumented immigrants live in Wisconsin, about 47,000 of whom are employed, according to the nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute.

In Wisconsin, undocumented workers contribute more than $198M in combined taxes to the state annually, accordingto the Institute of Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP).

Wisconsin and Mexico have a $6B combined annual trade agreement, but the Republican/MAGA controlled legislature has failed to allow undocumented workers from Mexico to apply or obtain driver licenses or permits as a safety driving measure.

In March 2006, former Wisconsin Governor James Doyle (D) signed the Real ID law in Wisconsin, which anyone living in the state would have to prove their legal residency and must have a social security to apply for a driver's license in the state.

ICE is known to be the most corrupt federal agency that has committed murder of undocumented immigrants, forced coercion to sign deportation documents, have violated the rights of undocumented to due process, and other illegal acts, which have not been held accountable by the U.S. Congress. (http://hispanicnewsnetwork.blogspot.com/2017/10/us-ice-and-border-customs-agents-lack.html)

A public protest against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (U.S. DHS) proposed U.S. ICE facility in Milwaukee will take place on Wednesday, January 15, 2025 in front of the alleged building targeted by U.S. ICE and the U.S. DHS at 11925 W. Lake Park Dr., at 1:00 p.m., according to Alderwoman Taylor.

Alderwoman Taylor released the following statement, "There is a very alarming development that has come to my attention, and it is only fair and right to make the residents of District 9 and the entire city aware as I, with the support of my colleagues, begin to collect information and look for answers of what can be done about it."

 

"We in District 9 have received a request, through a third party, to support a federal agency as it plans to move into our district. That agency is ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) under the Department of Homeland Security. They have requested that we support modifications to a building in our district located at 11925 W. Lake Park Dr. Those modifications include adding a sally port and a chain link fence with privacy slats. A sally port, in respect to customs, will be used to transport prisoners to and from the facility.

 

"I want District 9, and the rest of the city, to know that we do not support the Department of Homeland Security in their decision to move into our district, and we definitely do not support any such modifications to any building in our district (as a location to house prisoners!).

 

"Understand that we did not have representation when the Department of Corrections practically forced the location of a 32-bed youth detention facility on us, but this time, we have a voice. There will be a press conference held TOMORROW (Wednesday, January 15) at 1 p.m. outside of the facility at 11925 West Lake Park Dr.

 

"We invite representatives from all organizations that will be impacted by this to attend the news conference. Milwaukee's 9th Aldermanic District will no longer be Wisconsin's dumping ground for detention facilities."

The estimated cost to the U.S. government to deport 1M of undocumented immigrants annually is $88B, and in a decade would cost an estimated nearly $1T, according to a press release by Milwaukee County Supervisor Juan Miguel Martinez,  who also opposes the relocation of the U.S. ICE facility to the 9th Aldermanic District in Milwaukee.

17 Hispanics Murdered In 2024, 13 Males And 4 Females, 134 Total Homicides Reported In Milwaukee

There were 134 homicides in 2024, that included 17 Hispanics, 13 males and 4 females, according to Milwaukee police.

By H. Nelson Goodson 

Hispanic News Network U.S.A.

January 13, 2024

Milwaukee, Wisconsin - On 2024, Milwaukee police reported that 134 homicides occurred, which 17 were Hispanics, 13 males and 4 females, according to City homicide stats.

• Nayah Vásquez, 18, killed in a drive-by shooting at the 1100 block of S. 37 Street on Christmas Day, December 25, 2024.

• Xziel Rivera, 15, killed in a drive-by shooting at the 1100 block of S. 37 Street on Christmas Day, December 25, 2024.

• Lillian J. Feliciano, 58, was killed by strangulation at the 2000 block of S. 8th St. on November 23, 2024.

• Xavier Davis, 16, fatally shot at the 2700 block of W. Oklahoma Ave. on November 12, 2024.

• Nelson Manuel López Correa, 15, was fatally shot at the 1600 block of W. Forest Home Ave. on October 28, 2024.

• Natalie Ramos-Rodriguez, 39, was fatally shot at the 700 block of S. 24 Street on September 9, 2024.

• Javier D. Hernández-Gazga, 26, was murdered at the 8600 block of W. Good Hope Rd. on July 28, 2O24.

• Jesús Huerta-Correa, 20, was fatally shot at the 1400 block of S. 24 Street on July 23, 2O24.

• Albert Felipe Maria, 44, was beaten to death with a 2×4 at the 1400 bock of S. 8 Street on July 19, 2024.

• Samuel Sesar Molinar, 50, was fatally shot at the 3100 block North Buffum Street on June 29, 2024.

• Diego Herrera-Mejia, 16, was fatally shot at the 1800 block of W. Manitoba Street on June 15, 2024.

• Isaac Rodriguez, 15, was fatally shot at the 1800 block of W. Manitoba Street on June 15, 2024.

• Jonael A. Zambrano-Cardona, 9, was fatally shot at the 9000 block of N. Swan Rd. on June 13, 2024.

• Isdennyeliz Ortiz, 10, was fatally shot at the 2100 block of W. Orchard Street on May 31, 2024.

• Monroe Weso, 15, was fatally shot at the 1400 block of W. Halsey Ave. on May 18, 2024.

• Alejandro A. Sánchez, 15,  was fatally shot at the 1400 block of W. Halsey Ave. on May 18, 2024.

• Steven Cortez Vance, 30, was fatally shot at the 2600 block of N. 26 Street on May 11, 2024.

19-year-old Emilio A. Arner-Ortiz Charged With 2nd-degree Sexual Assault Of A 13-year-old Boy From Illinois In Milwaukee

19-year-old Arner-Oriz charged with sexual assault of a 13-year-old boy and child enticement, according to Milwaukee police.

By H. Nelson Goodson 

Hispanic News Network U.S.A.

January 10, 2025

Milwaukee, Wisconsin - On Friday, Emilio A. Arner-Ortiz, 19, was criminally charged with using a computer to facilitate a 13-year-old child (boy) for a sex crime, abduction of a child, child enticement, 2nd-degree sexual assault of child under 16, and intentionally pointing a handgun at Milwaukee police officers.

Arner-Ortiz is facing more than 40 years in prison and up to $100,000 in fines, or both for using a computer to  facilitate a sex crime with a child; facing more than 15 years in prison and up to $50,000 in fines, or both for abduction of a child; facing more than 25 years in prison and up to $100,000 in fines, or both for child enticement; facing more than 40 years in prison and up to $100,000 in fines, or both for 2nd-degree sexual assault of a child under 16, and facing more than 6 years in prison and up to $10,000 in fines, or both for pointing a firearm at a law enforcement officers.

If convicted on all charges, Arner-Ortiz is facing up to 126 years in prison and up to $360,000 in fines, or both.

A $100,000 cash bond was set for Arner-Ortiz.

According to the criminal complaint, Arner-Ortiz allegedly used a computer to chat with a 13-year-old old boy from Illinois for at least three years. He went to Alsip, Illinois on November 7, 2024, between 3:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., he picked up the boy and then returned to Milwaukee where he engaged in sex with the boy. 

The boy's father on November 7, 2024 noticed around 3:00 a.m. that his son was not at home. His father then checked the boy's laptop and noticed that his son was chatting in the DISCORT app with a person called "Tres", according to police.

The parents filed a missing person report with Illinois police in the Village of Alsip.

Milwaukee police later located the boy at a McDonald's Restaurant on S. 6 Street and W. Oklahoma Ave. in the Southside of Milwaukee.  The boy's mother came to Milwaukee to pick up the boy. The boy told his parents that Arner-Ortiz was his boyfriend, and that he was 16. The mother later discovered that Arner-Ortiz was 19.

When interviewed, the boy told Alsip police in Illinois that he had ran away from home with his 16-year-old boyfriend from Milwaukee, and that he had sex with the boyfriend in Milwaukee.

On December 1, 2024, the mother and boy returned to the Alsip Police Department to report additional information about Arner-Ortiz. The boy told police that he had sex with Arner-Ortiz in Milwaukee and that Arner-Ortiz had let him hold his unloaded handgun. The boy also told police that he placed the unloaded handgun to his head and pulled the trigger.

Milwaukee police on January 6, 2025, went to a residence at the 2500 block of S. 7th Street where Arner-Ortiz was at and when several Milwaukee Police Officers, Nicholas Zaragoza and Miguel Benitez were talking to Arner-Ortiz, he pulled a handgun out, and Officer Benitez, 35, began to struggle with him, then Benitez pulled out his service weapon and shot Arner-Ortiz once in the abdomen. Soon after getting shot, Arner-Ortiz told the officers that (the handgun) "it's unloaded, and suicide by cop." 

Arner-Ortiz suffered a non-life threatening injury and was hospitalized, but was later taken into custody.

Arner-Ortiz and the boy had talked about committing suicide after police in Alsip, Illinois and Milwaukee police in Wisconsin learned of their DISCORD chats and sexual encounter in Milwaukee.

Hispanic News Network U.S.A. (HNNUSA) has learned that Arner-Ortiz is the nephew of Wisconsin State Representative Sylvia Ortiz-Velez (D-Milw). When contacted by HNNUSA, Rep. Ortiz-Velez said, that she wasn't aware that her nephew had been criminally charged on Friday or had been shot by police on January 6. Ortiz-Velez released the following statement, "I have not seen him in over a decade but I will say that it is unfortunate that he chose to make poor choices. I hope that everyone involved receives the mental health treatment needed."

Social Media Post Allegedly Warns Of A Possible Shooting Threat Targeted At Casimir Pulaski High School In The Southside Of Milwaukee

Alleged Pulaski High School social media post is warning parents not to sent their kids to school, and indicates an alleged shooting threat. A 14-year-old male suspect was taken into custody in Milwaukee for posting threat in social media.

By H. Nelson Goodson 

Hispanic News Network U.S.A.

January 8, 2025

Milwaukee, Wisconsin - On Tuesday, Milwaukee Southside residents began to circulate an alleged threat about a social media shooting post targeted at Casimir Pulaski High School.

Apparently, the original post is undated and Facebook (FB) users began sharing it on Tuesday, January 7, 2025, which also indicates Milwaukee police have been made aware of the social media post threat circulating in FB.

The post doesn't show where it originated from and which social media platform it originated from nor who originally posted it.

According to the FB post, a friend of one of the sisters named in the shared post shared it with her, and the other sister began to share it to warn parents of students from Pulaski.

Today, Carmen High School of Science and Technology (Southeast Campus) is in the Casimir Pulaski High School and share the same Milwaukee Public School building facilities in the Southside of Milwaukee at the 2500 of W. Oklahoma Ave. in Milwaukee.

Editor's note: The @name on the FB posts brings up multiple schools with the name Pulaski in Wisconsin and other states. Without the original post information, it is unclear, which school is actually being targeted for an alleged shooting.

Update: Milwaukee police who became aware of the social media shooting Pulaski High School threat on Tuesday at 8:00 p.m. reported on Wednesday, that a 14-year-old  male was taken into custody for posting the Pulaski High School shooting threat in social media. Police submitted criminal charges against the teen and the Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office is reviewing the pending charges.

Milwaukee police believe the original social media account that the post first appeared originated in Milwaukee.

Police in Pulaski, Wisconsin have also become aware of the social media threat and determined, the threat as "facetious and fictitious communication to meant to deceive or elicit a response."

The Carmen High School of Science and Technology from Milwaukee posted a notice about the threat being circulating in social media in Milwaukee, and according to a Milwaukee Public Schools investigation, the threat is targeted at a high school in Pulaski, Wisconsin.