Thread: NC: Collision kills NCSU students, teen

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http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/n ... 947314.htm










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Posted on Tue, Nov. 07, 2006

IMMIGRATION OFFICIAL CHARGES

Accused drunken driver in U.S. illegally
Man was in head-on collision that killed 3 people on Oct. 27
JESSICA ROCHA
(Raleigh) News & Observer

A man charged with driving drunk and causing an accident that killed two N.C. State students and a 16-year-old near Sanford late last month is in the U.S. 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 with bond set at $75,000 and a 48-hour immigration detainer after being charged with three counts of involuntary manslaughter and other charges related to the Oct. 27 head-on collision, 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 Rios 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 Rios Sanchez is from the Mexican state of Guerrero, and that officials don't believe he has ever legally been in the United States.

The U.S. attorney could decide to press additional charges against Rios Sanchez for possessing counterfeit immigration papers, O'Connell said.

ICE placed an immigration detainer on Rios Sanchez so that if he does post bond, officers would have 48 hours -- excluding weekends and holidays -- to decide whether to take him into federal custody and start immigration proceedings.

Before the deadly collision, Rios Sanchez had been convicted of driving without an operator's license in 2005, according to court records. He was again charged with a similar misdemeanor in March and in April. One of the charges was dismissed, but he 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.






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© 2006 Charlotte Observer and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved.
http://www.charlotte.com

Ms. Jessica Rocha,

Thank you for your follow up article on Pastor Sanchez being an illegal alien. I was personally prepared to issue an apology if we were wrong, but again our experience with these matters has shown through.

Pastor Sanchez should have been detected and deported during his first encounters with our local law enforcement. If he had been, these children would still be alive today!

We will not approach the Lee County officials with information about the 287(g) Program which many NC Counties are already joining. This will allow them to head off many future problems like this.

Thank you for your follow up article. Some folks at the N&O were trying to tell us we were wrong, and we knew better.

Pastor Sanchez fits an unfortunately well established pattern.

Now if you would just consider writing an article listing the 14 people we bring attention to and check on that Durham wreck for us. You may have had two illegal alien dwi deaths within a week here.

William Gheen
www.alipac.us
AMERICANS FOR LEGAL IMMIGRATION PAC
Post Office Box 30966, Raleigh, NC 27622-0966
Tel: (919) 787-6009 Toll Free: (866) 329-3999

People should flood the N&O with emails. After the deaths of
the 4 Wakefield HS students killed earlier this year near US 64,
the families other than the driver's had to see intimate details in
the N&O everyday. There were speeches & memorials at Wakefield
& a lot of soul searching. This case involves an adult who
violated several of our laws & we hear just about nothing if not
for several of us bugging the N&O. I am going to keep flooding
my state reps after the election with this story. I would like to
see it get some human interest coverage so the families involved
are not so invisible.

I never doubted that he was illegally here. What got me was that the N&O would not and will not own up to the fact that they won't report the full story on illegals. I'm not sure what thier agenda is but reporting the news, and I mean the whole news certainly isn't one of them.

Originally Posted by dem4labor

I am going to keep flooding
my state reps after the election with this story. I would like to
see it get some human interest coverage so the families involved
are not so invisible.

I recommend we all send our respective, elected representatives these stories. Inform them a SECURE BORDER would prevent these accidents.
Ask them what they are going to do, to make our country safer.

I also suspect my local newspaper of not reporting crimes committed by illegals. Nor do they show photographs of illegals that get arrested. I'm trying to gather some documentation, before I write the editor.

I wrote to Time Warner's Cable News Channel 14 to ask them why they hadn't reported anything about Mr.Sanchez's illegal status.
Here's what I wrote:

I was wondering why I haven't heard any reports on your channel 14 news that Pastor Sanchez, who killed the two state students and one teenager, was not only here illegally but had more than just one prior arrest for not having a driver's license. I have not seen on your station that Mr. Sanchez has also been charged with having fake documents. If you did and I missed it I apologize, but it must have been reported at 3 in the morning since I watch your news program fairly often during the day and evening.
I really like your reporters and your news program. The thing is it seems your station, like many in this area are reluctant to report when crimes are committed by someone here illegally. I think it's important for the people of North Carolina to know the problems illegal aliens are causing in this state. I also feel it's the obligation of news programs like yours to report this fact besides the "feel good" or "poor illegal immigrant" stories we usually hear.

And here is their reply:

Thank you for your email. We always appreciate hearing from our viewers. News 14 Carolina reported on the crash, Sanchez’s arrest, his first court appearance and the memorial service for the students. We have not updated the story recently. We have, however, reported extensively in the past on the issue of illegal aliens arrested on drunken driving charges and a proposal by US Rep. Sue Myrick that they be immediately deported. I will discuss your suggestion with our reporting staff this morning. I appreciate your feedback. Thank you for writing and thank you for watching News 14 Carolina.

I noticed they didn't report anything else since his initial court appearance before the fact it came out he was not only here illegally, had been stopped more than once for not having a license, or that he had fake immigration papers.. Hmmmmm....guess they don't want to report the whole story. Might make illegals look bad or something.