Mexican man pleads guilty in federal court to crossing border illegally

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Mexican national pleaded guilty Tuesday to reentering the United States illegally and being an alien in possession of a gun.

Israel Ramirez-Jaramillo, 33, pleaded guilty in federal court in Jefferson City to a count of illegal reentry and a count of being an alien in possession of a gun. A sentencing hearing has not been set, but Ramirez-Jaramillo faces 15 years in prison on the gun charge and up to two years on the reentry charge.

Ramirez-Jaramillo was arrested by Osage Beach police officers on April 20 after he fired a shot into the air during an argument with his girlfriend at their apartment, according to a U.S. attorney's news release.

Officers found the gun inside a toilet that Ramirez-Jaramillo was sitting on, the release states.

Ramirez-Jaramillo admitted in court that he was first removed from the United States on April 5, 2011, in San Ysidro, California, the release states. He was apprehended by Border Patrol agents again on April 13, 2011, in Arizona and removed from the country that July, according to the U.S. attorney's office.

A presentencing investigation will be completed before a sentencing hearing is held.