Thread: Illegal immigrant charged in crash that killed Mt. Airy woman

Illegal immigrant charged in crash that killed Mt. Airy woman

Woman's Jeep turned into path of motorcycle, failed to yield when turning, police say
Aug 26, 2014

VIDEO At LINK:
Woman charged in fatal crash accused of being illegal immigrant
TRANSCRIPT of Video

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BRIAN HAMRICK, WLWT NEWS 5. A NEW TWIST IN A DEADLY WRECK. DEPUTIES SAY THE DRIVER RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CRASH IS AN ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT. EMILY WOOD REPORTS, THAT WOMAN IS FIGHTING TO STAY IN THE COUNTRY. ACCORDING TO COURT DOCUMENTS, MERCED GARCIA IS BEING HELD AT THE BUTLER COUNTY JAIL. HE WAS DRIVING WITHOUT A LICENSE AND IS CURRENTLY LIVINGS IN THE COUNTRY AS AN ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT. LAST WEDNESDAY AT THE INTERSECTION OF MARTIN LUTHER KING AND LUDLOW, HAMILTON POLICE SAY MERCED GARCIA HIT DAVID AND GALE MCDANIEL ON THEIR MOTORCYCLE. POLICE SAY MARCIA WAS TURNING LEFT WHEN SHE COLLIDED WITH THEM. ACCIDENTS ARE ACCIDENTS. THERE WAS NO IND INDICATION OF ALCOHOL, DRUGS, OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT. SHE -- THE -- MS. GARCIA JUST SIMPLY DIDN'T SEE THE MOTORCYCLE COMING AND TURNED. SHE IS CHARGED WITH VEHICULAR HOMICIDE. POLICE SAY SHE DID NOT HAVE PROOF OF U.S. CITIZENSHIP AND DOESN'T SPEAK ENGLISH. ACCORDING TO HER FAMILY, SHE IS A MOTHER OF THREE. SHE LEFT MEXICO THREE YEARS AGO AND LEGALLY CAME TO AMERICA WITH A VISA. HER DAUGHTER SAYS SHE WAS LOOKING FOR A NEW JOB THE DAY OF THE ACCIDENT. THAT WAS VERY SCARY FOR ME BECAUSE SHE HAD NEVER BEEN ARRESTED OR TO JAIL. SHE'S NOT A BAD PERSON. A $10,000 BOND HAS BEEN POSTED FOR HER. BUT BECAUSE OF THE HOLD FROM I.C.E., THERE IS NO POSSIBILITY FOR BOND AT THIS TIME. REPORTING LIVE, EMILY WOOD, WLWT NEWS 5. GARCIA'S FAMILY SAYS HER 12-YEAR-OLD SON PEDRO IS BATTLING LEUKEMIA. THE STATUS OF HER VISA IS

HAMILTON, Ohio —An illegal immigrant is in Butler County Jail on misdemeanor charges but she could be heading back to Mexico based on her current immigration status.

On Monday, Hamilton police arrested and charged Merced Garcia, 37, for vehicular homicide and driving without a license.
Hamilton police said Garcia failed to provide proof of U.S. citizenship.

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On Aug. 20, police were sent the intersection of Martin Luther King Boulevard and Ludlow Street around 2:30 p.m.
Police said when they arrived, they found a Jeep driven by Garcia had turned into the path of a motorcycle and failed to yield when turning.

The driver of the motorcycle, David McDaniel, 64, and his wife, Delilah Gayle McDaniel, were taken to Fort Hamilton Hospital.
Delilah McDaniel was transferred to a Dayton area hospital due to the severity of her injuries. She died Saturday night while in surgery.

"It's terrible for the McDaniel family, I met with them this morning but accidents are accidents. There was no indication of alcohol or drugs, anything like that," said Sgt. Ed Buns with Hamilton Police Traffic Section. "Miss Garcia simply did not see the motorcycle coming and turned."

Hamilton Police said Garcia is Mexican and does not speak English, which can be a challenge for many officers. Police did communicate with Garcia through an interpreter.

"We deal with them, we work with them, we're here to provide service to everyone who is here and make sure they are safe and protected," said Buns.

Garcia's family told WLWT she came to the U.S. through Texas eight years ago to escape an abusive relationship with her husband and father of her three children.

Pedro Garcia, 12, Sofia Garcia, 13 and Julieta Garcia, 17 all live with Merced Garcia in Hamilton and attend Hamilton City Schools.

The children said Garcia came to the U.S legally with a visa but they are unsure of its current status.

"Regardless of the fact of the immigration status, we're going to treat everybody the same. The Hamilton Police Department doesn't say because you are this we are going to treat you any differently, the law is the law," said Buns.

But Hamilton police have nothing to do with immigration status. According to the Butler County Jail, there is an Immigration and Customs Enforcement hold on Garcia and she is listed as "no bond."

Buns said the situation is sad because it was fatal and Garcia can no longer care for her son Pedro who has leukemia and gets regular treatments at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.

The Garcia family said it has contacted an immigration lawyer to try and stop possible deportation.
Read more:http://www.wlwt.com/news/woman-dies-...#ixzz3BXmFEOY3

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