Thread: Despite violations, driver wasn't identified as illegal immi

Despite violations, driver wasn't identified as illegal immigrant
BY JUDITH NYGREN AND JASON KUIPER
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITERS

Despite repeated trips through Douglas County’s criminal justice system, Eleazar Rangel-Ochoa wasn’t identified as an illegal immigrant until this week -- after he was accused of causing a west Omaha crash that killed 4-year-old Josie Bluhm.

It isn’t clear exactly how Rangel-Ochoa escaped the notice of authorities for so many years and after so many orders revoking his driving privileges.

But part of the explanation lies in an inability to thoroughly check his documentation the first time he walked into the Nebraska Department of Motor Vehicles.

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Eleazar Rangel-Ochoa
Rangel-Ochoa, 27, applied for his first Nebraska driver’s license in September 1998. He used a Social Security card, according to state records.

At the time, state employees weren’t able to verify the validity of the Social Security number with a federal database, said DMV Director Beverly Neth. The same was true in June 2000, when Rangel-Ochoa had his license reinstated following his first DUI offense.

It wasn’t until 2001, Neth said, that the state could check the validity of a person’s Social Security number. So when Rangel-Ochoa returned to the DMV in 2004, employees sent him away empty handed.

Rangel-Ochoa no longer had driving privileges. He was convicted in 2003 of his third-offense DUI, prompting a judge to revoke his license for 15 years.

What he needed now, he told DMV employees, was a Nebraksa ID card. Neth said DMV employees told Rangel-Ochoa he couldn’t have one until he contacted the Social Security office and had everything in order. The state has no record of him reapplying for an ID card, Neth said.

Now Rangel-Ochoa sits in the Douglas County Correctional Center with a federal "hold" on him as a suspected illegal immigrant, while an Elkhorn family is left to mourn the death of Josie following Tuesday’s crash.

The pastor for the Bluhm family said the family is devastated by the loss. Josie Bluhm was taken off life support and died Wednesday at 5:50 p.m.

Josie was a passenger in a minivan driven by her mother Jayme Bluhm, 32. The van was struck by a pickup driven by Rangel-Ochoa, who police said ran a red light and slammed into the van.

The crash happened about 7:25 a.m. Tuesday at 180th Street and West Center Road.

George Megard, associate pastor at Lutheran Church of the Master said he was there with the family on Wednesday when Josie died. He said he had been there praying with them.

Megard said it should come as no surprise to anyone how distraught the family is over the crash and loss of Josie.

Luetta Evert, a great-grandmother of Josie, said she’ll remember her as a nice, energetic little girl who played well with her older brother. Evert said she would see them on special days like holidays and always enjoyed it when they came to visit her in West Point, Neb.

Evert, 81, said she last saw the family on Easter though she’s been at the hospital the last two days.

"They are doing about as well as can be expected," Evert said. "It’s just awful. I feel sorry for anyone who has to go through anything like this."

The funeral for Josie will be at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at Lutheran Church of the Master’s west campus, 1200 N. 181st Court, which is about a half mile north of West Dodge Road. Visitation with the family will be 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friday at Reichmuth Funeral Home, 21901 West Maple Road.

Hospital officials said Jayme Bluhm was in fair condition Thursday morning, and Cayden Bluhm, 5, was in serious condition. A third child, Reagan Bluhm, 1, was also taken to the Nebraska Medical Center after the crash and was treated and released.

Jayme Bluhm told police that the three children were properly restrained when she left home. The seats were the appropriate size for the children, according to accident investigators, but it appears Josie wasn’t buckled in when the crash happened.

Rangel-Ochoa also was treated for injuries sustained in the crash.

Police arrested him after he was released and are holding him in jail on suspicion of driving with a suspended license. Police said they do not know his country of origin.

Authorities said Rangel-Ochoa’s license had been suspended and revoked numerous times for offenses ranging in severity from failure to complete driver improvement classes to driving under the influence.

Authorities said they would probably pursue a charge of misdemeanor motor vehicle homicide.

http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=2 ... d=10634218

Authorities said they would probably pursue a charge of misdemeanor motor vehicle homicide.

misdemeanor?? I hope this family sues the BEEP out of Douglas County. I am surprised though that the weird Herald did not take more of a poor poor illegal slant.

Deleted by me.

Below are the people to contact about this, especially if you are a Nebraska resident:

Nebraska's Senators and Representatives to the US Congress
(Nebraska's 2008 Partisan Voting Index: R+15)

Nebraska's US Senators

US Senator Ben Nelson (D)
Class I United States Senator
http://bennelson.senate.gov/

US Senator Mike Johanns (R)
Class II United States Senator
http://johanns.senate.gov/public/index.cfm

US House Representatives for the State of Nebraska

Jeff Fortenberry (R) - US Representative for Nebraska Congressional District 1
(Beatrice, Fremont, Lincoln, Norfolk, and South Sioux City Nebraska)
(District's 2008 Partisan Voting Index: R+12)
http://fortenberry.house.gov/

Lee Terry (R) - US Representative for Nebraska Congressional District 2
(Bellevue, Chalco, La Vista, Omaha, and Papillion Nebraska)
(District's 2008 Partisan Voting Index: R+9)
http://leeterry.house.gov/

Adrian Smith (R) - US Representative for Nebraska Congressional District 3
(Columbus, Grand Island, Hastings, Kearney, North Platte, and Scottsbluff Nebraska)
(District's 2008 Partisan Voting Index: R+24)
http://www.adriansmith.house.gov/

http://www.wrhammons.com/NE-2009-2010.htm

It shocks me see how foreigner cab drivers break our driving laws and get away with it. Everyday I see foreign taxi drivers park their cabs in spaces reserved for fire hydrants. It’s illegal, presumably anywhere, to park in front of a fire hydrant. The law in my state and most other states say that you must be parked at least so many feet away from a fire hydrant. Isn't this one of the questions asked when you apply for a drivers' license? Or maybe they feel this law, along with a lot of other laws in this country, does not apply to them.

Dear ALIPACers,

So these deaths of our fellow Americans are not forgotten, please email me when you identify someone killed by an illegal so I can include them on the VICTIMS OF ILLEGAL ALIENS MEMORIAL (that I host on OJJPAC.org.)

The link is here if you want to view what I'm talking about:

http://www.ojjpac.org/memorial.asp

Your eyes and ears are vital to identifying victims that will otherwise be forgotten...the government does not keep these statistics...which is why I do.

The memorial ensures that their deaths cannot be forgotten...and be certain there are many people who don't want these names to be known or counted because it documents and is undeniable evidence as to Congress' malfeasance in failing to protect the American people.

And if you have time, print out the list of the dead and send it to your public officials.

Let's not let these victims of illegal aliens-- men, women, children, and infants die in vain.

Pro patria,

Steve

Steve, seems like there have been a lot lately.



Dixie

what an adorable little girl.

too bad that she is just another number because we have a$$es in DC who DO NOT CARE about the american people

Repeat comment - "Our FAMILIES are at the mercy of ILLEGALS and their Anchors being murdered, raped, infected with disease, or robbed. We can see the results of the ILLEGAL invasion in our courts every day! But NOT to worry the Chamber of Commerce will get their "cheap labor" increasing "their privatized" PROFITS while socializing the "benefits" for their ILLEGALS on the back of United States Citizens, thanks to our past and current Presidents, the Congressional Leadership(?), and local elected and appointed officials!!"

THIS STORY just covered on Lou Dobbs Tonight, for Friday May 15th
just after the half hour break