CATAWBA COUNTY, N.C. — A Mexican national convicted of a stabbing in Catwaba County in 2003 was arrested trying to illegally enter the United States from Mexico – more than 15 years after fleeing there.
He was captured trying to cross the U.S.-Mexico border on Jan. 31 east of the border town of Nogales.
Francisco Loyola Lopez, 39, was extradited from Arizona back to North Carolina in March to face attempted first-degree murder and assault with a deadly weapon charges. Those charges stem from an incident on July 11, 2003, where Loyola Lopez stabbed a man in the chest, causing “substantial injuries that resulted in hospitalization at two medical facilities,” according to court documents.
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On Wednesday, he was sentenced to between 31 and 47 months in prison for the assault, after Loyola Lopez pleaded guilty to the assault with a deadly weapon charge.