Renton woman freed from Mexican prison after 2 years as political prisoner

MEXICO CITY -- A Washington woman who spent more than two years as a political prisoner in Mexico is now a free woman.

Nestora Salgado walked out of Tepepan prison in Mexico City Friday morning.

Salgado returned to her native Mexico and led a vigilante-style — but legal — community police force, which mounted patrols to protect residents from corruption and organized crime.

A dual U.S.-Mexico citizen, Salgado was arrested in August 2013 after people detained by her group said they had been kidnapped. A federal judge cleared her of those charges, but a related state case has kept her imprisoned.

There was an outpouring of support for Salgado and the United Nations ruled in her favor.

Now Guerrero state judges have dismissed the charges against her, citing a lack of evidence.