Thread: WA - Traffic accident leads to deportation of illegal immigrant

Wednesday, April 5th 2017, 3:01 pm PDT
Wednesday, April 5th 2017, 3:01 pm PDT


OLYMPIA, WA (KOMO/CNN) - A routine traffic collision with no injuries turned into something that has changed lives.

Armando Chavez Corona, the victim in the crash, has been deported. His family claimed the trooper kept him at the scene too long, even though they admit he was here illegally, married to a U.S. citizen.

And a portion of the phone conversation the trooper had with an ICE officer obtained has her using the word stall. "So I can stall actually until he gets here. Probably 20 minutes to a half an hour,” the trooper said.

"This guy was deported before as an aggravated felon for methamphetamine possession. That's his criminal. So we really want him,” an ICE officer says.

The family says Chavez Corona was out at the scene for several hours. But the state patrol chief says the internal investigation did not show that the trooper actually did stall. "She did not. The investigation didn't prove that. She was at a very complicated collision scene. In fact she was at multiple collision scenes,” Chief John Batiste said.

But the trooper is getting a personnel file reprimand for a comment heard on the dashcam between the trooper and a civilian ride-along. "Just through comments mimicking the individual that she was in contact with,” Batiste said.

“I'm going to ask his mother's and father's names. 'I don't know, know my father's name. No habla ingles.' ha, ha," she said.

"Well she's being reprimanded for, in our view, failure to fully comply with department policy in terms of not bringing shame or an embarrassing situation to the agency,” Batiste said.

The trooper’s named has not been released since she wasn't terminated and no criminal charges are pending. In fact, the chief hopes she has a long, successful career. "I think her career will continue to be a good career as it has been so far,” Batiste said.

http://www.wtol.com/story/35080609/t...egal-immigrant

The trooper should get a medal, not a "file reprimand." Batiste, you are on the wrong side of the line here.