In Ronda the National Police have arrested a 61-year-old man accused of corrupting two minors. The youths run away from a care centre in Gaucín as they feared they would be arrested for robberies in Zahara de la Sierra as one of the property owners had seen them.
They fled from Gaucín to Ronda where they were befriended by the accused. He sheltered them at his home in the town and was intent on having sexual relations with them and gave them money and drugs. The man has no previous convictions and is being held by the court.
WIKI RONDA
Ronda has made it into the Wiki Leaks file. According to the website the then Spanish foreign minister Miguel Ángel Moratinos and the American ambassador in Madrid met in the town of the Tajo to discuss international subjects as well as the state of relations between the two countries. Included was the sale of patrol boats by Spain to Venezuela and Cuba issues.
ANOTHER DEATH
Last Thursday afternoon a 31-year-old motorist died on the Ronda to Benaoján road by the Cueva del Gato. His car went off the road, excessive speed it the likely cause. From Montejaque he was well-known in Ronda where he ran a bar. This is the second death at the same spot – in October a 34-year-old businessman from Montejaque was killed in a motorbike accident.
WIFE BEATER
The National Police arrested a 23-year-old man from North Africa after he attacked his wife at their apartment in the calle Jerez in Ronda. He is said to have struck his wife last Thursday afternoon whilst she was caring for their nine month old child. He was duly arrested on domestic violence charges and is being held at the disposition of the court.
FULL MONTY
The National and local police in Ronda stopped a vehicle and gave a breath test to the 40 year old driver on suspicion of being drunk. It proved positive and it transpired that he had stolen the car, he did not have a driving licence, the vehicle was not insured and to complete the list didn’t have a current ITV road worthy certificate.
HISTORIC SIGNS
Ronda’s tourist office is changing the street signs in the historic centre. They will be larger and will include biographic information on famous people who have lived nearby or events. The change over comes after the Plataforma pro Ronda Patrimono de la Humanidad heritage association lobbied for the new signs initially in the Pedro Romero, Vicente Espinel and Virgen de la Paz streets.
DIESEL RAID
Guardia Civil arrested in Estación de Benaoján three young Rumanians accused of stealing diesel with violence. When their Nissan car was stopped they had inside a carafe with the fuel plus the equipment to siphon it from a vehicle’s tank. Wearing masks they had previously threatened two people. One of those detained had breached an order excluding him from the Schengen Treaty area.
ME NEITHER
The mayor of Ronda recently appeared in court where he denied he was responsible for the publication in his magazine of confidential information about the president of the PPs Nuevas Generaciones, Juan Ignacio Vega, which came from the local police. Now the councillor for security, Rafael Lara, has told the judge it wasn’t him either although his mayor says they were his responsibility.
CATASTROPHE UNIT
The Serranía de Málaga health authority held a simulated exercise for its new catastrophe unit in Ronda. The team, made up of 22 professionals, attended to volunteers contaminated in an incident involving chemical, nuclear or biological agents. It forms part of the Andalucía plan for emergencies centred on health service hospitals for which the region receives 3.7 million euros from EU funds.
FASTER TRIP
Trains on the Algeciras – Ronda – Granada line have been upgraded by Renfe from December 19. There are three trains a day in each direction and depending on the schedule the overall journey time has been cut from between 15 to 40 minutes. Granada to Algeciras now takes 3 hours 53 minutes, 2 hours 20 minutes to Ronda and hour 16 minutes to Antequera.
EXPENSIVE WINE
A new project to establish the Bodegas Excelencia in Ronda has received almost 400,000 euros from the regional government in development aid. The vineyard will have a budget of three million euros and will be located on seven hectares at Los Frontones. There are now 37 bodegas in Málaga province producing vines on 1,300 hectares in Axarquia, Serranía de Ronda and Los Montes.
STAMPING MAD
When a flamenco artist stamps his or her feet in a performance it’s about passion but dancer Juan Andrés Maya has been to court to stamp his feet furiously at Gaucín town hall. Contracted to appear at the July flamenco festival his 3,000 euros fee is still unpaid. Gaucín is bankrupt and the administration says it will pay when it has the cash.
