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La Mesa security guard in Tijuana prison on gun charge

Rodney Dantzler Jr. says he crossed the border with a firearm by mistake.

SAN DIEGO — A La Mesa man who works as a security guard has been jailed in Tijuana for almost three months, after he says he mistakenly drove across the border with a gun.

Rodney Dantzler Jr. has a license to carry a firearm, but guns are illegal in Mexico.

Dantzler said he drove across the border by mistake during rush-hour traffic on March 23.

The 28-year-old works as a security guard and was carrying his handgun and ammunition in the trunk of his car.

His mom, Jackie Anderson, said her son simply missed his exit.

“He thought he was going to be able to make a U-turn. Then once he got over there, his whole world is upside down,” said Anderson.

Dantzler was driving to Chula Vista to show off his new car to a friend, the mother said.

“They wanted to search his vehicle. And he told them, ‘Hey, I'm a licensed security guard. And I have paperwork to carry my ammunition.’ So they searched the vehicle and they did find a gun and some ammunition,” Anderson said.

For the past 85 days, Dantzler has been locked up in the La Mesa prison in Tijuana. He's also the father of six-year-old boy. 

Anderson speaks to her son once a week by telephone but she is afraid to cross the border to visit him.

“I'm really scared to go over there because I’m the one that started to GoFundMe. I'm the one that's going to the press,” she said.

So far, the GoFundMe page the mother set up has raised more than $5,500 to help pay for legal expenses.

Dantzler’s car has been impounded, a 2022 Dodge Charger he had saved up his money to buy.

“He's worried about his vehicle right now. And I was telling him a vehicle can be replaced. We just want to get you home first,” Anderson said.

She said she continues to pray and keeps a positive attitude.

“He's a great kid. He made an honest mistake. He's not the first [to] have done that. Just keep praying for him. We're gonna get him home. We're gonna get him home,” Anderson said.

Anderson said she had been quoted up to $40,000 for an attorney to try and get her son out of jail. But she finally has found an attorney she trusts, who filed a motion in court on Thursday to get Dantzler out of jail.

A date for the court hearing has not been set.

WATCH RELATED: 7 people found dead inside pickup truck in Tijuana (June 2023).





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