Thread: Another hit and run incident - NC

Immigration Status Still Unknown on Hit-and-Run Suspect
Posted: Today at 5:22 a.m.
Authorities are trying to figure out the immigration status of a suspected drunk driver accused of critically injuring a 7-year-old boy in Johnston County on Saturday evening.

The driver, Pollo Hernandez Rodriquez, appeared before a judge Monday, and relatives said doctors at Duke University Hospital declared Marcus Lassiter, 7, brain dead.

Rodriquez faces charges of felony hit and run, driving while impaired, driving without a license, driving a stolen car and causing serious injury with a motor vehicle.

Rodriquez remained in jail Tuesday morning, held on a $1 million bond.

"I think he was less than a human," the boy's aunt, Mary Ann Cooley, said. "I think he should get the maximum punishment."

Through an interpreter, the judge and an assistant district attorney explained the charges to Rodriquez.

Relatives said Marcus’ leg was broken and he had brain damage. He was not breathing on his own Monday and remained on life support as doctors continued to perform tests, said family members, who remained at his bedside.

If the boy dies, state troopers said they would bring more charges against Rodriquez.

State troopers said Marcus was standing on the shoulder of Heath Road when he was struck. An adult had been watching him and another young child play in the yard, his aunt said.

"He was on the edge of the yard, and the car came by going 60 in a 45, and the man was drunk," Cooley said. "And he hit him, and he got out of the car, looked at everybody and ran."

Police said they arrested Rodriquez after he tried to flee from the scene. Marcus was flown to Duke for treatment.

Residents told WRAL that the speed limit in the area is 45 mph, but motorists often drive much faster. A resident whom WRAL interviewed said he has seen Rodriquez speeding through the neighborhood before.

“I’ve seen him speeding through here. My guess is he's doing at least 60 mph, no less. That’s a little fast for all the houses around this development,â€

7-year-old brain dead after wreck

Martha Quillin, Staff Writer
As his family kept vigil at the hospital where 7-year-old Marcus Lassiter of Selma lay brain dead Monday evening -- after being struck by a car Sunday -- police stood ready to pursue more serious charges against the driver they say hit Marcus and ran away.
Sgt. K.D. Bell with the N.C. Highway Patrol's Johnston County office said a man who gave the name Pollo Hernandez Rodriguez of Four Oaks is charged with felony hit and run, felony assault, driving while intoxicated, possession of a stolen vehicle, driving without a license, speeding and reckless driving. He is in the Johnston County jail with bail set at $1 million, Bell said. Investigators are still trying to verify his identity, Bell said; the first name he gave translates from Spanish as "Chicken." The man's citizenship status is also uncertain.
Shortly after 6 p.m. Sunday, Bell said, a vehicle lost control in a curve on two-lane Heath Road north of Four Oaks. A witness reported that Marcus was standing on the roadside when the vehicle ran onto the shoulder and struck him. The car came back onto the roadway, then veered right again before crashing into a ditch. A second child, standing with Marcus, was uninjured.

Investigators determined the driver came into the curve at about 70 mph, 25 mph above the posted speed limit.

The car, a 1995 Chevrolet Camaro, had been stolen from the Four Oaks area, Bell said.

The driver got out and ran into nearby woods.

State troopers and deputies from the Johnston County Sheriff's Office set up a perimeter around the woods, Bell said, and when the man came out, they arrested him.

Rodriguez had a blood-alcohol content of 0.21, Bell said, more than twice the legal limit. A person is considered intoxicated at a level of 0.08.


martha.quillin@newsobserver.com or (919) 829-8989

http://www.newsobserver.com/news/story/1037456.html

7-Year-Old Dies in Hit-and-Run Case


Posted: Today at 5:22 a.m.
Updated: Today at 11:27 a.m.

Four Oaks, N.C. — A 7-year-old boy who was critically injured by a suspected drunk driver in Johnston County, has died, his family said Tuesday.

State troopers said Marcus Lassiter, 7, was standing on the shoulder of Heath Road when a car struck him on Saturday. An adult had been watching him and another young child play in the yard, his aunt, Mary Ann Cooley, said.

Cooley said the family made the decision to remove Marcus from life support, and he died late Monday night.

Relatives said doctors at Duke University Hospital had declared Marcus brain dead. The child’s leg was broken and he had brain damage.

The driver, Pollo Hernandez Rodriquez, faces charges of felony hit and run, driving while impaired, driving without a license, driving a stolen car and causing serious injury with a motor vehicle.

Police said charges against Rodriquez had not been upgraded after the boy's death, but would be once officers could confirm Rodriquez’s identity.

Investigators on Tuesday were looking into the possibility that Rodriquez did not give his real name to police.

Rodriquez remained in jail Tuesday morning, held on a $1 million bond.

Police said they arrested Rodriquez after he tried to flee from the scene.

http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/2734707/

When they figure out the chicken man's real name I will bet he has priors under several names. Longer odds say he has been deported at least once.

When will this madness end? There must be a clever lawyer that can find someone to sue over this...

How many innocent Americans lives will it take before Washington gets the "in your face" message and gets off their pandering behinds?

William wrote:

I would be very surprised if this per was NOT an illegal alien.

This crime has illegal alien written all over it.

You're right, all the signs are there.

Man charged in hit-and-run that kills boy, 7 McClatchy Regional News
Wednesday, Apr. 16, 2008 7:31 am
The Highway Patrol has learned the name of a suspected drunken driver who may be facing second-degree murder charges after he fled the scene of a crash that killed a 7-year-old boy.

The Highway Patrol initially charged the man, who identified himself as Pollo Hernandez Rodriguez, with felony hit-and-run, felony assault, driving while intoxicated, possession of a stolen vehicle, driving without a license, speeding and reckless driving. The patrol will consult with the Johnston District Attorney's Office about possibly adding the murder charge because the boy, Marcus Lassiter of Selma, later died.

Marcus was struck near Four Oaks on Sunday and taken to Duke Hospital, where he died Monday night, Trooper D.B. Finch said.

The Highway Patrol would not release the man's real name Tuesday. "Pollo" translates to "chicken" in Spanish.

''His name couldn't be chicken," patrol Sgt. J.L. Gaskins said Tuesday. "We will probably release it tomorrow."

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is trying to determine whether the man is in the country illegally, Gaskins said.

The patrol said the man's blood alcohol content when he was arrested was 0.21, more than twice the legal limit of 0.08. He is in the Johnston County jail in lieu of $1 million bail.

A witness told the Highway Patrol that Marcus was standing on the side of two-lane Heath Road north of Four Oaks shortly after 6 p.m. Sunday when a car lost control, ran onto the shoulder and struck him. The car came back onto the road, then veered right again before crashing into a ditch.

A second child, standing with Marcus, was uninjured.

Investigators determined the driver came into the curve at about 70 mph, 25 mph above the posted speed limit.

The car, a 1995 Chevrolet Camaro, had been stolen from the Four Oaks area, said Highway Patrol Sgt. K.D. Bell.

The driver got out and ran into nearby woods.

State troopers and deputies from the Johnston County Sheriff's Office set up a perimeter around the woods, Bell said, and arrested the man when he came out.

http://www.news-record.com/apps/pbcs.dl ... F/34381520
e-mail this article to a friend print this article section

Published: Apr 17, 2008 12:30 AM
Modified: Apr 17, 2008 05:23 AM


Driver has previous arrests
The man charged in a child's death has no convictions for drunk driving, despite arrests

Thomasi McDonald, Staff Writer


Hernandez was earlier convicted of reckless driving to endanger.

The man charged with driving drunk when he hit and killed a 7-year-old Selma boy Sunday has been charged with drunken driving at least four times before but has never been convicted of drunk driving, according to court records.

Hipolito Camora Hernandez, 30, of Parkertown Road in Four Oaks, now faces a host of charges related to the death of Marcus Lassiter, who was struck near Four Oaks on Sunday evening and died at Duke Hospital on Monday night.

The state Highway Patrol charged Hernandez with felony hit-and-run, felony assault, driving while intoxicated, possession of a stolen vehicle, driving without a license, speeding and reckless driving. With Lassiter's death, the patrol plans to consult with the Johnston District Attorney's Office about possibly charging him with second-degree murder, as well.

District Attorney Susan Doyle could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

A witness told the Highway Patrol that Marcus was standing on the side of two-lane Heath Road north of Four Oaks shortly after 6 p.m. Sunday when a car lost control on a curve, ran onto the shoulder and struck him. Investigators determined the driver came into the curve at about 70 mph, 25 mph above the posted speed limit.

The patrol said Hernandez's blood alcohol content when he was arrested was 0.21, more than twice the legal limit of 0.08.

State records indicate that Hernandez was charged four times with drunken driving in Johnston County.

In 2006, the county had the lowest conviction rates for drunken driving cases among Triangle counties; prosecutors dismissed 45 percent of all impaired-driving charges in Johnston that year, compared with 14 percent dismissed statewide, according to an analysis of data from the state Administrative Office of the Courts.

One DWI charge against Hernandez, filed in March 2007, is pending. Two others -- in 2004 and 2005 -- were dismissed. In the remaining case, in 2006, Hernandez was convicted of reckless driving to endanger, for which he paid a $25 interpreter's fee and $210 in court costs and fines.

He also was charged in February 2005 with having an open container of alcohol in his vehicle and in May 2005 with giving fictitious information to a law enforcement officer. He was not convicted of the offenses.

"Obviously, we are dealing with someone who is not paying any attention or respect to North Carolina laws," patrol spokesman Lt. Everett Clendenin said Wednesday. "Hopefully now we can take proper actions."

Clendenin also said the patrol is working with federal immigration officials to determine whether Hernandez is in the country legally.

It took investigators a couple of days to be sure of Hernandez's name. The patrol initially identified him as Pollo Hernandez Rodriguez, but learned his real name with help from several sources, Clendenin said.

Hernandez is in the Johnston County jail in lieu of $1 million bail.

thomasi.mcdonald@newsobserver.com or (919) 829-4533

http://www.newsobserver.com/news/crime_ ... 40167.html

Oh, it makes me SO angry that he wasn't deported on the first offense! The NC legislature failed to pass legislation that would make DWI a deportable offense. How many lives could have been saved if they had passed it?

Athough, there is still the issue with deportation. That they cross right back over the border and continue committing crimes

So frustrating. I sent this story to the governor, President Bush, and the leader of the NC Senate and House.

Originally Posted by Lynne

Oh, it makes me SO angry that he wasn't deported on the first offense! The NC legislature failed to pass legislation that would make DWI a deportable offense. How many lives could have been saved if they had passed it?

Athough, there is still the issue with deportation. That they cross right back over the border and continue committing crimes

So frustrating. I sent this story to the governor, President Bush, and the leader of the NC Senate and House.

We need to sweep all four out of office. Fortunately, there are good choices running for office in NC. We need to support them with $$ and volunteer time!