Immigration status questioned for driver tied to patio crash

By Brian Rogers and Erin Mulvaney
Updated 05:53 p.m., Monday, March 19, 2012

A suspected drunken driver accused of crashing into a home killing one child and injuring another is being held without bail after a judge heard Monday that he may not be in this country legally.

Luis Hector Lopez-Rodriguez, 27, is accused of losing control of the blue Ford Crown Victoria he was driving and plowing in to the front porch of a southwest Houston apartment, where two children were playing during a Saturday night party.

During a brief court appearance Monday, Magistrate Judge Blanca Villagomez said federal officials have put a hold on Lopez-Rodriguez, which typically means his immigration status is in question. He apparently is a Mexican citizen.

Lopez-Rodriguez is charged with intoxication manslaughter and intoxicated assault. If convicted, he faces a maximum punishment of life in prison.

Jesus Ordonez, 7, was killed when the vehicle rammed into the front porch. Christopher Cruz, 4, was in critical condition with burns over 40 percent of his body.

He was burned by a hot grill upended when the car hit the porch, Assistant Harris County District Attorney Todd Keagle said during a brief hearing Monday.

Cruz was taken to Shriner's Hospital in Galveston for treatment, and he was in stable condition Monday, said Jo Ann Zuniga, a Shriner spokeswoman.

Saturday's wreck was not the first time Lopez-Rodriguez has been accused of driving drunk. In January 2008, he pleaded guilty to driving while intoxicated in exchange for three days in jail.

He also was charged last year with assaulting his common-law wife.

The woman, who has two children with Lopez-Rodriguez, told authorities he hit her in the mouth with his fist. Although he was charged, he apparently was never arrested.

Gregory Palmore, a spokesman for the U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agency, said Monday that the agency was still investigating Lopez-Rodriguez's immigration status. Lopez-Rodriguez listed his place of birth as San Luis, Potosi, Mexico, court records show.

Lopez-Rodriguez was last booked into Harris County Jail in December 2007 - nearly a year before the county started participating in ICE's Secure Communities immigration enforcement program, which runs suspects' fingerprints through a massive Homeland Security database. It was unclear from court records whether ICE officials questioned Lopez-Rodriguez or marked him for possible deportation in 2007.

Immigration status questioned for driver tied to patio crash - Houston Chronicle