Thread: Plea deal may save Basalt man’s life, attorney says

Plea deal may save Basalt man’s life, attorney says

by Chad Abraham,
Aspen Daily News Staff Writer
Tuesday, October 4, 2011

A Basalt man who faces a threat against his life in his home country of Guatemala pleaded guilty Monday to disorderly conduct in Pitkin County District Court in a deal that may allow him to get amnesty.

Esbilmer Geovanny Perez-Ruano, 28, was originally charged with felony criminal impersonation and traffic violations after a Colorado State Patrol trooper pulled him over June 20. The trooper wrote Perez-Ruano was driving by himself in an HOV lane. Perez-Ruano, who is in the country illegally, allegedly gave the trooper a fake name when he was pulled over on Highway 82.

Perez-Ruano, who has been in jail since his arrest, also has a hold from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, meaning a deportation hearing is likely in his near future.

As part of the plea deal, he pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct, a petty offense, which keeps him eligible to petition for amnesty given his violent environment in Guatemala.

“It’s an immigration-safe plea,â€

Illegal immigrant gets reduced charges

kgun9.com
By The Associated Press
CREATED 6:13 AM

ASPEN, Colo. (AP) A district court judge has accepted a misdemeanor plea from an illegal immigrant from Guatemala that would allow the man to seek amnesty.

The man was facing felony charges of felony criminal impersonation and traffic violations, but he was allowed to plead guilty to disorderly conduct on Monday. A felony conviction would bar amnesty.

According to the Aspen Daily News (http://bit.ly/pGNMM6 ), Esbilmer Perez-Ruano is seeking amnesty after three of his relatives were shot and killed in Guatemala, possibly by drug gangs.

The district attorney's office would not comment on the plea.

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Information from: Aspen Daily News, http://www.aspendailynews.com

http://www.kgun9.com/news/regional/131044878.html