Thread: NC: Collision kills NCSU students, teen

It's now confirmed that an immigration detainer has been placed on this drunk driving illegal alien.

Published: Oct 29, 2006 12:30 AM
Modified: Oct 29, 2006 02:12 AM

http://www.newsobserver.com/692/story/504197.html

Collision kills NCSU students, teen
A Sanford man is in Lee County jail charged with DWI and three counts of involuntary manslaughter

T. Keung Hui, Staff Writer
SANFORD - Two N.C. State University students and a 16-year-old boy were killed in a head-on collision with a drunken driver Friday, according to authorities.

Pastor Sanchez, 55, of Sanford was driving west on N.C. 42, nearly five miles east of Sanford, about 5:10 p.m. when he swerved left into the oncoming lane, according to State Trooper K.T. Hill.

Sanchez' 1999 Dodge Intrepid struck head-on a 1990 Toyota Corolla station wagon driven by Helen Meghan Hughes, 22, of Summerville, S.C.

Hughes and her front-seat passenger, Jennifer Elaine Carter, 18, of Jacksonville were pronounced dead at the scene. The collision also injured Hughes' back-seat passenger, Benjamin Richard Leonard, 16, of Sanford. Leonard was taken to Central Carolina Hospital for surgery, where he died of his injuries.

Leonard was Hughes' stepbrother, Hill said.

Hill said Sanchez was treated for a broken arm at Central Carolina Hospital. He was charged with three counts of involuntary manslaughter and driving while impaired.

He was being held Saturday at the Lee County jail in lieu of $75,000 secured bond.

Hill said Sanchez' only prior motor-vehicle offense was a charge of driving without an operator's license.

Hill said Hughes and Carter were N.C. State University students. He didn't know where they had been heading, although they were driving east toward Raleigh.

On Saturday, friends, relatives and the youth group at Carter's church, First Baptist Church of Jackonsville, gathered at the family's home to comfort her parents.

"She was a personification of purity," said Marilyn Ledoux, a family friend. "We know she's with Jesus now."

Ledoux said Carter had gone to N.C. State to study to become a teacher, possibly in English. Carter was an English major.

The Northside High School graduate was a freshman living in the honors dorm at N.C. State, Ledoux said.

"Jenny was a very capable, bright young woman," she said.

While attending Grace Community Church on N.C. State's campus, Carter met Hughes, Ledoux said.

Before coming to Raleigh, Hughes had lived in Summerville in the home of Jo Fabian, 77.

Fabian said Hughes had been teaching at a church day care center before moving to Raleigh 10 or 11 months ago to be near her sister and stepbrother. Fabian said Hughes hoped to get a job here working as an emergency medical technician.

"She cared a lot about her brother," Fabian said.

http://www.newsobserver.com/674/story/504403.html

Triangle Briefs:
Published: Oct 30, 2006 12:30 AM
Modified: Oct 30, 2006 06:55 AM

DWI suspected in wreck that killed 3

From Staff Reports
SANFORD - A man charged with killing three people in a head-on collision five miles east of Sanford on Friday smelled strongly of alcohol and had a brandy bottle with a broken seal in the passenger area of his car, Trooper K.T. Hill of the state Highway Patrol said Sunday.

Hill said a blood sample from Pastor Sanchez, 55, of Sanford will be sent to the State Bureau of Investigation to determine Sanchez' blood alcohol level at the time of the accident.

Sanchez has been charged with three counts of involuntary manslaughter and driving while impaired. Hill said Sanchez did not have a valid license at the time of the accident.

The collision killed N.C. State University students Jennifer Elaine Carter, 18, and Helen Meghan Hughes, 22. Hughes' stepbrother, Benjamin Richard Leonard, 16, died of his injuries at Central Carolina Hospital.

Sanchez, who was treated for a broken arm, was being held at the Lee County jail Sunday in lieu of $75,000 bail.

http://www.wral.com/news/10194525/detail.html

Judge Questions Bond For Man Charged In Fatal Accident

POSTED: 6:13 pm EST October 30, 2006
UPDATED: 9:15 pm EST October 30, 2006

SANFORD, N.C. -- A judge on Monday questioned whether the bond should be raised for a man charged with killing three people in a drunken-driving accident Friday.

Pastor Rios Sanchez, 55, of Sanford, remains in the Lee County Jail on a $75,000 bond. He is charged with three counts of involuntary manslaughter, driving while intoxicated and having an open container of alcohol in his car.

Meg Hughes, 22, of Summerville, S.C., Jennifer Carter, 18, of Jacksonville, N.C., both students at North Carolina State University, and Hughes' stepbrother, 16-year-old Ben Leonard, were returning to Raleigh from Lee County Friday evening when a 1999 Dodge Intrepid crossed the center line on N.C. Highway 42 about five miles east of Sanford, authorities said.

The Intrepid collided head-on with Hughes' 1990 Toyota Corolla station wagon, killing Hughes and Carter instantly. Leonard died during surgery at Central Carolina Hospital, authorities said.

Last year, Sanchez pleaded guilty to driving without a license.

District Judge Donald L. Boone questioned why Sanchez' bond was set at $75,000, considering the charges he faces.

"The bond doesn't sound high enough to me," Boone said. "That's going to be up to another judge who will hear that. Sounds like a really low bond."

The lawyer representing Sanchez for his initial court appearance said the deaths should be treated as an accident, not a crime.

Sanchez is due back in court Nov. 15.

A memorial service for Carter was held Monday in Jacksonville. A memorial service for Hughes and Leonard is scheduled for Tuesday at Hayes Barton United Methodist Church in Raleigh.

Reporter: Fred Taylor

Good job had_enuf. Your work is much appreciated.

It is a shame that a citizen activist had to get this information because the liberal newspaper failed again to do their job!

I'm assembling a press release at this moment to get this out across the state and nation.

W

Two killed in N.C. wreck grandchildren of couple in Vicksburg

By Fred Messina

[10/30/06] Two grandchildren of a Vicksburg couple died in a three-fatality wreck on a state highway in central North Carolina on Friday.

Helen Meghan Hughes, 22, Parniece St., Summerville, N.C., and Benjamin Richard Leonard, 16, Buckhorn Road, Sanford N.C., were killed.

They were grandchildren of Newell and Althea Murphy Jr. of Vicksburg.

Also killed was Jennifer Carter, 19, of Jacksonville, N.C., who was a passenger in the Hughes car.

The North Carolina Highway Patrol said the driver of the other vehicle involved was arrested and jailed, charged with three counts of involuntary homicide and driving under the influence of alcohol.

The wreck report said Hughes was driving a 1990 Toyota eastbound on NC 42 about 5 miles from Sanford. A 1999 Dodge driven by Pastor Rios Sanchez, 55, of Cooper Store Road, Sanford, crossed the centerline and collided head on with her car at 5:07 p.m., the report said.

The highway patrol spokesman said Sanchez was taken to Central Carolina Hospital in Sanford for treatment of a broken arm, then jailed in Lee County, N.C., in lieu of $75,000 bond. He was to have made an initial appearance in court this morning.

Phill Richmond, the executive director of Oak Ranch school where Leonard was enrolled, told The Sanford Herald newspaper that Leonard had just been picked up by Meghan and her friend Jennifer and was to spend the weekend with his sister, Andrea Hughes of Raleigh, who also was his legal guardian

State Trooper K.T. Hill said the two women both died at the scene. Leonard was taken to the hospital, where despite being resuscitated and having emergency surgery, he was pronounced dead at 10:16 p.m.

A memorial service for Leonard and Hughes will be at 1 p.m. Tuesday at Hayes Barton United Methodist Church in Raleigh, the Sanford newspaper reported.

A memorial service for Hughes and Leonard will be Tuesday in Raleigh.

Richmond said Leonard will be cremated and that his ashes will be spread on the bank of the Cape Fear River where it borders Oak Ranch property.

http://www.vicksburgpost.com/articles/2 ... news01.txt

This is what I wrote the N&O about them not publishing his legal status:

I would like to know why in your article "Collision kills NCSU
Students, Teen" Oct 29, 2006, you didn't report that the drunk
driver Pastor Sanchez who killed the students and teen with his
car, was illegally here in North Carolina, or the fact that when he
was charged before with driving without a license that he wasn't
reported to ICE? In fact I'd like to know why when reporting any
crime, or drunk driving accident that if the person is illegally
here in North Carolina you don't publish this fact? Don't you
believe that your readers should know of the growing problem with
illegal aliens in North Carolina and not just the "feel good" or
"the plight of the poor pitiful illegal aliean" stories you usually
print?

And here is their replies:

Mr. Smith,
We will follow up on our article. The article you reference includes
information that we knew to be facts at the time. We often don't have
all of the information at the time of publication and must continue the
process of verification.
We can not operate on assumptions based on a person's name. We will
check on the immigration detainer. A detainer does not automatically
mean that the person is an illegal immigrant. Legal residents who are
not citizens may also face deportation if convicted of a crime.

We can not operate on assumptions based on a person's name

Hmmm...well in North Carolina I'm sure there's a very good chance he is.



The investigating state trooper told us Sanchez was a legal resident
with a green card. One of the conditions for holding a green card is
not to break any laws. This is why ICE put a hold on him. We will
follow this case as it moves through the courts.
We appreciate your interest.
Winston Cavin
Night Metro Editor

Boxerbear,

We received the same reply from the N&O. We are pursuing the matter.

There is a big chance that either 1. The Troopers info was inaccurate or 2. Sanchez presented a fake Green Card or 3. Sanchez was given the Green Card after illegally immigrating to the US.

Considering the high level of disrespect for our laws Sanchez has exhibited and the fact he had a prior traffic offense of driving without a license makes him very suspect as an illegal alien.

Legal immigrants and Green Card holders can obtain licenses legally in NC. Makes one wonder why he did not have one.

While it is possible this man legally immigrated to the US, played by the rules, and then one day decided to go screaming down the highway with a bottle of brandy making him so drunk he could not stay in his own lane, but our past experiences tell us that is unlikely.

This would be the first case of ICE putting a hold on a Green Card carrier that we have detected.

W

Congressman (NAME) & Staff:

According to reports by the Raleigh News & Observer, on Friday October 27, Pastor Sanchez, 55, of 'Sanford' was driving west on N.C. 42, nearly five miles east of Sanford, about 5:10 p.m. when he swerved left into the oncoming lane causing a head on collision that killed three youths.

Those killed were Helen Meghan Hughes, 22, of Summerville, S.C, Jennifer Elaine Carter, 18, of Jacksonville and Benjamin Richard Leonard, 16, of Sanford.

Hughes and Carter were N.C. State University students.

Pastor Sanchez is currently being held at the Lee County jail in lieu of $75,000 secured bond and is charged with three counts of involuntary manslaughter and driving while impaired.

Since these reports indicated Sanchez had a prior motor-vehicle offense of driving without an operator's license, a citizen activist went looking for his immigration status since the Raleigh News and Observer made no mention of his status. It is common for the N & O to omit this important information and we have witnessed them not reporting incidents like this they are aware of.

Our citizen activist "Linda" determined that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has placed an immigration hold on Pastor Sanchez.

We press released this information and added the names of the deceased to our tracking list of 14 North Carolinians killed or maimed by drunk driving illegal aliens in the last two years alone. Due to constant failures to report by newspapers in our state, we believe the true casualty count to be much higher.

The News and Observer is now making the claim via e-mail that a Highway Patrol officer has told them that Pastor Sanchez had a permanent resident Green Card.

While we admit that it is possible that Pastor Sanchez entered America legally and played by the rules before this incident, we feel that is highly unlikely based on our past research. Most of the incidents we report and list involve graphic and repeated failures to enforce our existing laws prior to the incidents.

We feel it is likely that one of the following situations exists. We want to know if Pastor Sanchez had a valid Green Card or a fraudulent Green Card since there are so many fake ones circulating in North Carolina according to multiple news reports.

If he possesses a valid Green Card, we want to know if it was awarded to him after prior immigration violations such as entering or remaining in America illegally.

If he did enter the US legally and abided by our laws to this point, we want to know if Pastor Sanchez has prior charges or convictions for crimes that should have prevented him from receiving or keeping his legal status prior to the murder of these young people.

Please assist the public by seeking this information from Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

So many North Carolinians have been killed or injured because of our open borders and the failure of either the Federal Government or local authorities to take adequate action to protect our citizens from unlawful aliens, we need the complete facts to decide if this case is similar to the many others.

Thank you for your assistance in this matter.

Sincerely,

William Gheen
Post Office Box 30966, Raleigh, NC 27622-0966
Tel: (919) 787-6009 Toll Free: (866) 329-3999

Since Mr. Sanchez had been cited for not having a driver's license before this incident my question is why didn't wasn't his "green card" revoked at that time? I too believe Mr. Sanchez is here illegally and I also wonder if he has other violations in other states? Lastly I wonder if Sanchez is actually his real name?

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

Published: Nov 07, 2006 12:30 AM
Modified: Nov 07, 2006 02:51 AM

Jessica Rocha, Staff Writer

Wreck suspect may be illegal alien
Drunken driving is alleged in the accident that killed three people near Sanford

Sanchez is being held on an immigration detainer.

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.