Thread: NC: Boy struck on way to bus

http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/14703578.htm

Posted on Wed, May. 31, 2006

Boy struck on way to bus
7-year-old is OK; woman faces charges, immigration questions
GAIL SMITH-ARRANTS
gsmith-arrants@charlotteobserver.com

CONCORD - A hit-and-run accident at a school bus stop Tuesday morning sent a 7-year-old boy to the hospital and the 26-year-old driver of the car to Charlotte for questioning by federal immigration officials.

The boy, bouncing on the sofa in his Concord home by late afternoon, pointed to his left knee and a quarter-sized red bruise. The first-grader at Weddington Hills Elementary School was treated and released at NorthEast Medical Center. The family, speaking through interpreter Doris Goedeke, said they didn't want their names used.

Martha Patricia Ortiz Lorenzano, 26, of 87 Woodsdale Place, was charged with felony hit and run, no operator's license and felony failure to stop for a school bus. She was being held Tuesday night on $200,000 bond in the Cabarrus County jail.

A leader in the local Hispanic community, Goedeke questioned why Ortiz Lorenzano was taken to Charlotte so officials could check her residency status. Her family indicated that she does not have documents showing she is in the country legally.

"Why did the police department have to involve immigration?" asked Goedeke, who is director of the Cabarrus County Hispanic Learning Center.

Last week, Concord Police Chief Merl Hamilton said his officers don't ask witnesses or crime victims about residency status because that could send ripples of fear through the Hispanic community and result in less crime being reported.

Although witnesses or crime victims don't face questions about their status, Ortiz Lorenzano did because she was charged with a felony, Hamilton said Tuesday night. The native of Mexico has lived in Concord about two years, her family said.

"If you commit a crime, we're going to check everything we can about you, including your criminal background," he said. "If you commit a felony and you're illegal, you put yourself at risk of us checking your immigration status."

After hearing Hamilton's explanation, Goedeke said she didn't disagree with immigration being involved.

But she's still concerned about educating Spanish-speaking drivers on bus stop safety. She said she will talk with Hamilton about doing outreach in the community on traffic issues.

"I want to get more education to the people about the laws," she said.

The issue surfaced after the hit-and-run accident, which happened shortly after 8 a.m. The child was in the middle of Kerr Street, near Buffalo Avenue, walking to the bus when he was hit, Hamilton said. The driver fled in a green 1996 Mazda.

"According to the bus driver, the bus had stopped and was awaiting the student to cross the street and board the bus, with the stop arms and lights activated," he said.

After the Mazda drove off, a mother who witnessed the accident gave chase, then called 911 when the driver stopped at the Woodsdale Place residence.

Police officers arrived and arrested Ortiz Lorenzano at her home. Her first appearance in Cabarrus County District Court is at 9 a.m. today.

Speaking through Goedeke, Ortiz Lorenzano's family said she was scared and didn't have a license, and that's why she drove off. They said the single working mom of a 6-year-old has a clean record and they questioned the $200,000 bond and the trip to Charlotte for questioning.

The family can't afford to pay the bond, said her mother, Martha Lorenzano.

"That's too much money," she said. Family members said they're afraid she's going to be in jail for some time.

And with the current climate in the country with immigration reform, they also are worried about their own status, said Ortiz Lorenzano's brother, Miguel.

"We have to be very, very careful in whatever we do," he said.

Yes run and educate all your buddies on school bus laws at tax payer expense! Wouldn't want them deported now would we?

And lets lower the bail for a hit and run felony just for the illegal's!

Originally Posted by Jezzabell

Yes run and educate all your buddies on school bus laws at tax payer expense! Wouldn't want them deported now would we?

And lets lower the bail for a hit and run felony just for the illegal's!

AW! come on Jezzabell,that`s such a sad story.Let`s just forger about it.We don`t want to upset "foxx" now do we?Anyway! It`s just another American child that is not part of "bushes" family,so what good is this child?

Did we "consult" Mexico before pressing charges?

Be a different story if it was her 6 year old that got hit by an American,
licenced, insured driver.

Maybe the stop signs on the buses should be in spanish.

I hope they send the entire extended family south.

"I want to get more education to the people about the laws,"

How about NOT hit anybody on the side of the road while driving!

Better yet, don't drive if you are not a legal citizen and don't have a legal driver's license!

Her family indicated that she does not have documents showing she is in the country legally.

"Why did the police department have to involve immigration?" asked Goedeke, who is director of the Cabarrus County Hispanic Learning Center.

Um, she doesn't have documents because she's illegal. Call a spade a spade people. As for Goedeke, kudos to the police department for involving immigration authorities! Geez louise! The woman plows through a school kid who thankfully is ok and all these idiots are worried about is how terrible it would be to send this woman back to wherever she came from!?! What planet am I on?