Thread: Another drunk illegal kills 3 more Americans

This story has gone national-

Another drunk illegal kills 3 more Americans
Suspect had pleaded guilty last year to count of driving without a license

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/artic ... E_ID=52875

Posted: November 9, 2006

Three people – two North Carolina State University students and a 16-year-old – have been killed by an illegal alien, who allegedly was driving drunk, and already had a record of crime in the United States.

Authorities say Pastor Rios Sanchez, 55, is expected back in a North Carolina court on Nov. 15 on charges he killed Helen Meghan Hughes, 22, of Summerville, S.C., Jennifer Carter, 18, of Jacksonville, N.C., and Hughes' stepbrother, 16-year-old Ben Leonard.

The two women were students at North Carolina State and all three were returning to Raleigh recently when a car crossed the center line about five miles from Sanford and collided head on with Hughes' station wagon. Two died instantly and Leonard died after being taken to Central Carolina Hospital, Highway Patrol Trooper K.T. Hill said of the Oct. 27 crash.

It's just the latest in a series of incidents on which WND has reported over recent months about illegal aliens in the United States doing the crime, but not the time. Nor are they deported sometimes as many cases would suggest they deserve.

(Story continues below)

Sanchez is being held on $75,000 bail and an immigration detainer following an appearance where he was charged with three counts of involuntary manslaughter and he also may face charges of carrying fraudulent identification, immigration authorities told the Raleigh News-Observer.

Immigration officer Tom O'Connell said Sanchez had a residency card but it apparently was forged. And District Judge Donald L. Boone noted that the bond seemed "really low" for the counts in the case.

Authorities also said Sanchez had pleaded guilty to driving without a license a year ago. And court records show he was accused of a similar count in March and another in April. One count was dismissed and Sanchez failed to show up for court on the other.

O'Connor said Sanchez could be deported within a month if in immigration custody, but state allegations against him could take months to resolve.

"We can't just hold [him] for eight months on an immigration charge [while the state continues its case]," O'Connell told the newspaper.

Tom Lock, the prosecutor, said those brushes with the law probably wouldn't have raised a red flag that he was illegal.

"There are hundreds and hundreds of traffic citations of people who are illegal immigrants, and as a practical matter (immigration) is not notified of each one of these," Lock said.

Michael Gilhooly, of the immigration department, said law enforcement officers can check electronically with a Vermont center that runs any name through Homeland Security databases and responds with the information available, such as legal residency, whether the person is wanted, or is a citizen.

Authorities said in a 12-month period, 3,478 inquiries were made by North Carolina officers, and 242 people were detained.

WRAL News in Raleigh reported that a memorial service for Carter was held in Jacksonville three days after the crash, while a service for Hughes and Leonard was a day later in Raleigh.


Marcos Ramos Medina. Courtesy Yakima Herald Republic

It was only a short time ago a twice-deported illegal alien with a record of drug arrests was told he was facing jail time. Marcos Ramos Medina, 35, who was found to have at least eight aliases and falsely identified himself at his first court appearance, escaped serious injury on Aug. 4, 2005, when his car swerved several times across the center line, causing a tractor-trailer rig to jackknife in Yakima, Wash. His car then plowed head-on into the 2000 Lexus driven by Peggy Keller, 53, dean of distance education at Yakima Valley Community College, killing her at the scene. As WND reported, Medina's first trial came to an abrupt end in August 2006 when Russell T. "Todd" Sharpe, a six-year Washington State Patrol officer, testified that the suspect fought against his restraints while being taken to the hospital for a blood alcohol test and refused to answer questions. The case against the Mexican national was declared a mistrial because his constitutional right to remain silent had been violated. It took a second jury only 30 minutes to find Medina guilty.

Then in 2005, WND reported, Scott Gardner of Mount Holly, N.C., was on vacation and heading to the coast with his family when his station wagon was struck by a truck driven by Ramiro Gallegos, an illegal alien charged three times previously with drunk driving. Gardner, the father of two young children, was killed. Gallegos of Mexico was charged with second-degree murder and driving while impaired.

Vitalina Bautista Vargas bids farewell to husband in court (courtesy Chattanooga Times Free Press)

In Chattanooga, Tenn., a court heard the case of an illegal alien convicted of running her car into a house and killing a 91-year-old woman. A judge ordered Vitalina Bautista Vargas deported. Amazingly, the family of the victim remained compassionate and merciful. "They wanted one of the conditions to be that she learn how to drive," prosecutor Jay Wood said. Prosecutor Wood said federal officials insisted that she be deported. He said as a convicted felon, she will not be allowed to apply to re-enter the country for at least 10 years. Louella Winton, the victim, was asleep in her bed when the car crashed into her house. The vehicle knocked the victim through the bedroom wall and threw her against the wall of the house next door.

But driving under the influence may be only the tip of the problem of illegal aliens on U.S. highways.

There also was the case of Victor Manuel Caballero. Even though he entered the country illegally from Mexico five years ago, the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled earlier this year that he could collect damages for being hurt in an auto accident from a special state fund set up to benefit those hurt in accidents with uninsured drivers. Caballero would hitch a ride to his computer job with a co-worker, 19-year-old Ricardo Martinez. One morning, Martinez fell asleep at the wheel, veered off the road and struck a parked tractor trailer. Martinez walked away from the accident, but Caballero, who also was illegal, was badly hurt. The hospital costs of $38,300 were paid by a charity fund, while his successful lawsuit found he was eligible for up to $15,000 for "pain and suffering."

Little caution, critics say, is being exercised when it comes to preventing mayhem on America's highways as the country witnesses record high numbers of unlicensed, unregistered, uninsured drivers – millions of whom are illegal aliens like Medina.

While no one – in or out of government – tracks traffic accidents caused by illegal aliens, the statistical and anecdotal evidence suggests many of last year's 42,636 road deaths involved illegal aliens.

A report by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Study found 20 percent of fatal accidents involve at least one driver who lacks a valid license. In California, another study showed that those who have never held a valid license are about five times more likely to be involved in a fatal road accident than licensed drivers.

Statistically, that makes them an even greater danger on the road than drivers whose licenses have been suspended or revoked – and nearly as dangerous as drunk drivers.

While police do not routinely ask drivers about their immigration status, New York's Rockland County District Attorney Michael Bongiorno – who has prosecuted more than 20 felony cases this year involving people accused of both unlicensed driving and drunken driving – estimated that two-thirds of about 70 drivers charged in Spring Valley with misdemeanor counts of driving while intoxicated and unlicensed driving were illegal immigrants.

"Unfortunately, the undocumented drivers here do that (drive unlicensed) more than the natives,'' said California Highway Patrol Officer Wendy Hahn. "If they've been involved in an incident, they flee because they don't want to deal with immigration.''

Federal immigration officials typically do not get involved when an undocumented person is charged with drunken driving or driving without a license, said Bongiorno and police officials around the country.

While the Census Bureau estimates there are 9 million illegal aliens living in the U.S., other sources put the figure closer to 20 million. Running parallel to those estimates are the best guesses on the number of unlicensed motorists – 17 million.

In addition, the states with the most illegal aliens also have the most unlicensed drivers. Those states are also in the lead for the most hit-and-run accidents, according to reports issued by the Fatality Analysis Reporting System and the Pew Hispanic Center. California ranks at the top with 24.1 percent of the known 11.1 million illegal aliens.

The proportion of unlicensed drivers varies widely state-by-state, with 6 percent in Maine and 23 percent in New Mexico.

Many of those advocating allowing illegal aliens to get driver's licenses make the case by suggesting most unlicensed drivers are so because they cannot get a license.

In California, for instance, the Legislature is considering several proposals that would help illegal immigrants drive. One of them is a bill that would prevent police from seizing vehicles driven by unlicensed drivers. Senate Bill 626 by Sen. Nell Soto, D-Ontario, would apply to all drivers who have never obtained a California license. Opponents point out those favoring the bill are the same people promoting licenses for illegals.

'Under current state law, police can seize vehicles for up to 30 days if the driver is unlicensed. Under the new bill, if the driver never had a license, the vehicle could be seized for only 24 hours; those who had licenses suspended or revoked would still have the vehicles impounded for up to 30 days.

Who are the people who have never had a license? Disproportionately, critics of the bill say, they are illegal immigrants.

In the Maryland Legislature, Delegate Luiz R.S. Simmons, D-Montgomery, is drafting legislation that would stiffen penalties for unlicensed drivers. His bill requires them to appear before a judge and would make them subject to up to 90 days in jail for a first offense and as much as a year for a second offense. In addition, cars belonging to unlicensed drivers could be impounded for up to a month or forfeited if they were involved in an accident that caused an injury.

Though there is absolutely no government data on the identity of Maryland's unlicensed drivers – or those in any other state – Simmons's bill has been attacked by immigrant rights' activists, who say it targets Latinos.

Whether they are mostly illegal aliens or not, one thing is certain – there are more unlicensed drivers on the road than ever before. So prevalent is the trend that many police departments have cut back on sobriety checkpoints in favor of checkpoints to check the documentation of drivers.

A WND statistical study of police reports of dozens of such checkpoints around the country show that close to 10 percent of drivers stopped are either unlicensed or have suspended licenses. Even at sobriety checkpoints, far more drivers are found to be unlicensed than intoxicated.

While some say the answer to the illegal alien-unlicensed driver crisis is permitting illegals to get licensed, others say the solution is decreasing the number of illegal immigrants living in the United States.

Rules determining who is eligible for a driver's license vary by state. Eleven states do not require legal immigration status to obtain a license. The rest do require proof of legal status, either by state law or the documents required to apply. The eleven states are: Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Tennessee, Utah, Washington and Wisconsin. Tennessee and Utah have introduced a separate "certificate for driving" for state residents who cannot prove they are lawfully present in the United States. But Tennessee stopped issuing the certificates in February after reports that undocumented immigrants were coming from out of state and using false documents to apply.

The Real ID act, scheduled to take effect in 2008, will prohibit all states from issuing licenses to illegal aliens or the licenses will not be accepted as identification for federal purposes.

In addition to being unlicensed, most illegal alien drivers are uninsured – making the accidents they cause even more injurious. Statewide, more than one-third of California drivers are without insurance, according to the California Department of Insurance. In some low-income and minority neighborhoods, the rate is over 50 percent. In San Jose, for instance, 55 percent of all drivers on the road have no auto insurance. In some parts of Los Angeles, Imperial, San Diego and Alameda counties, the rate reaches as high as 90 percent.

The situation isn't much better in other states with high populations of illegals. In Texas, 27 percent of drivers are uninsured. In Florida, the estimates are between 15 and 25 percent. In Colorado, 32 percent.

There are no official statistics about highway carnage and illegal aliens. But there is an increasing awareness among law enforcement officials – and victims of traffic accidents – that illegal aliens are playing a disproportionate role in the road mayhem.

According to surveys conducted by Mothers Against Drunk Driving, Hispanics believe it takes 6-8 drinks to affect driving, while Americans, indoctrinated for years against drunk driving, believe it takes just 2-4 drinks.

In 2001, MADD reported 44.1 percent of California's drunk driving arrests were of Hispanics, while, officially, they made up just 31.3 percent of the population.

When we sent this story out last week, I received responses from a reporter and night editor who claimed that the illegal was in fact a legal resident.

Wreck suspect may be illegal alien

Drunken driving is alleged in the accident that killed three people near Sanford


Published: Nov 07, 2006 12:30 AM
Modified: Nov 07, 2006 05:40 AM


Jessica Rocha, Staff Writer
The man charged with driving drunk and causing the accident that killed two N.C. State University students and a 16-year-old outside Sanford last month is in the United States illegally and may be prosecuted for carrying fraudulent identification, an immigration official said.

Pastor Rios Sanchez, 55, is being held in the Lee County jail on $75,000 bail and a 48-hour immigration detainer after being charged with three counts of involuntary manslaughter and other offenses related to the head-on collision Oct. 27, according to law enforcement.

Helen Meghan Hughes, 22, and Jennifer Elaine Carter, 18, were pronounced dead at the scene. Hughes' stepbrother, Benjamin Richard Leonard, 16, also was in the wreck and later died at the hospital, N.C. Highway Patrol Trooper K.T. Hill said last month.

Though Sanchez had a residency card, investigators now believe it was a fake, said Tom O'Connell, the resident agent in charge for Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

O'Connell said Sanchez was from the Mexican state of Guerrero, and that immigration officials don't believe he has ever legally been in the United States.

The U.S. attorney could decide to press additional charges against Sanchez for possessing counterfeit immigration papers, O'Connell said.

ICE placed an immigration detainer on Sanchez so that if he posts bond or otherwise faces release, immigration officials would have 48 hours, excluding weekends and holidays, to decide whether to take him into federal custody and start immigration proceedings.

But if Sanchez were taken into immigration's custody now, he could be deported within a month, O'Connell said. Prosecution of state charges against Sanchez could take many months.

"We can't just hold [him] for eight months on an immigration charge [while the state continues its case]," O'Connell said.

Instead, ICE usually waits until near the end of a prison sentence or other factor, and then takes the person into custody for deportation proceedings.

Sanchez was convicted of driving without an operators license in 2005, according to court records. He was charged with a similar misdemeanor in March and April. One of the charges was dismissed, but Sanchez failed to appear in Harnett County court in August, records show.

However, it's unlikely that those brushes with law enforcement would have flagged him as a possible illegal immigrant, officials said.

"There are hundreds and hundreds of traffic citations of people who are illegal immigrants, and as a practical matter [ICE] is not notified of each one of these," said Tom Lock, district attorney for Lee, Harnett and Johnston counties.

If law enforcement organizations want to check whether someone is wanted by ICE, they can connect electronically with a Vermont-based service center that handles the queries, said Michael Gilhooly, an ICE spokesman.

A technician runs the name in several Homeland Security databases, and usually within an hour ICE will be able to send back an explanation of what popped up. It could be that a person has legal residency, or that a person is wanted, or that nothing pops up, Gilhooly said. That would happen if a person is a U.S.-born citizen, but also if a person is here illegally but has never had contact with an immigration official, he said.

The results from that search then are forwarded to people working in field offices, who, given limited resources, can choose to further investigate someone's immigration status.

"If the person isn't in our database, it doesn't necessarily mean they are an illegal alien," Gilhooly said. "It takes further investigation to determine that. That's why we notify the local officers."

In the 12 months that ended Sept. 30, 3,478 electronic inquiries were made by law enforcement in North Carolina, resulting in 242 detainers being placed on people.

That compares to 2,877 inquiries in the previous 12-month period, Gilhooly said. The number of detainers was not available Monday.
Staff writer Jessica Rocha can be reached at 932-2008 or jessica.rocha@newsobserver.com.

http://www.newsobserver.com/102/story/507224.html

The man charged with driving drunk and causing the accident that killed two N.C. State University students and a 16-year-old outside Sanford last month is in the United States illegally and may be prosecuted for carrying fraudulent identification, an immigration official said.

Maybe the headline writer missed the first paragraph of the article.