Thread: Driver in fatal wreck jailed, ID questioned

Driver in fatal wreck jailed, ID questioned
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/growth ... 92052.html
By Thomasi McDonald, Staff Writer
RALEIGH - Wake District Court Judge Shelley Desvousges refused to lower bail this afternoon for a man charged with driving a stolen sport utility vehicle that crossed the median of Interstate 40 on Monday and killed the driver of another car.
Assistant District Attorney Susan Spurlin told Desvousges that the man, who identified himself to state troopers as Michael Caldera De Latorre, posed a considerable flight risk because police have not verified his identity. Spurlin also told the judge that other felony charges are likely to be filed against the man.
De Latorre, 24, is being held in the Wake County jail in lieu of $1.2 million bond on charges of driving while impaired, felony death by motor vehicle and two felony counts of serious injury by motor vehicle.
The state Highway Patrol said De Latorre was traveling east on I-40 in the Tahoe shortly after 7 a.m. near Wade Avenue when he crossed the median and struck a 2006 Kia Optima head-on. The Kia's driver, George Smith, 54, of Cary was killed.
The SUV also struck a 2001 Ford Mustang driven by Carolyn Hageman of Apex, who had minor injuries.
The state Highway Patrol learned this morning that the Tahoe had been reported stolen.
"We found out about 30 minutes ago," 1st Sgt. Steve Greene, a Highway Patrol spokesman, said at noon.
Paperwork in the vehicle listed De Latorre's address as 1919 Pine Bough St., Concord. In a news release, Greene noted that federal authorities are assisting troopers regarding the identity of De Latorre and that of a passenger, who identified himself as Roberto Castaneda, 18, of China Grove.
Investigators are also hoping fingerprints will provide more information that could help verify De Latorre's identity.
De Latorre does not speak English, so Desvousges asked him through an interpreter whether his name was Michael De Latorre during the court appearance today.
"Si," he answered, using the Spanish word for "Yes."
Desvousges appointed a public defender to represent De Latorre after he told the judge he needed to talk with his family to find out whether he could afford to hire a private attorney.
Desvousges scheduled De Latorre's next court appearance for June 26 at 2 p.m.
The driver identified himself to troopers as Michael Caldera De Latorre, 24, Greene said. Paperwork in the vehicle listed his address as 1919 Pine Bough St., Concord.
De Latorre is being held in the Wake County jail in lieu of $1.2 million bond.
A news release issued by the patrol today indicated some doubt about whether De Latorre is his actual name.
In the news release, Greene noted that federal authorities are assisting troopers regarding the driver's name and that of a passenger, who identified himself as Roberto Castaneda, 18, of China Grove. A magistrate said that De Latorre must provide proof of his identity before he can post bond, Greene said.
Investigators are also hoping fingerprints willl provide more information that could help verify his identitiy.
De Latorre was traveling east on I-40 in the Tahoe shortly after 7 a.m., just east of the 289 mile marker, when he crossed the median and struck a 2006 Kia Optima head-on, Greene said. The Kia's driver, George Smith, 54, of Cary was killed.
The SUV also struck a 2001 Ford Mustang driven by Carolyn Hageman of Apex, who had minor injuries.
In addition to DWI and death by vehicle, De Latorre was charged with two counts of assault with a deadly weapon, no operator's license and careless and reckless driving.
He was scheduled to appear in court today at 2 p.m., a jail spokesman said.
Staff writer Thomasi McDonald can be reached at (919) 829-4533 or thomasi.mcdonald@newsobserver.com

This is what this person gets, whether he was legal or not legally here.

Justice is JUSTICE, legal or not legal, PERIOD !!!

http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/1472083/

Illegal Immigrant Held in Fatal I-40 Wreck

Posted: Jun. 5 10:33 a.m.
Updated: Jun. 5 6:40 p.m.

Raleigh — A man in a sport utility vehicle that went through a highway median and crashed into two cars Monday was ordered held on a $1.2 million bond Tuesday.

Michael Caldera De Latorre, 24, was eastbound on Interstate 40 at about 7:15 a.m. Monday when the Chevrolet Tahoe he was driving veered across the median onto westbound I-40 near the Wade Avenue split. State Highway Patrol troopers said the Tahoe hit a blue Kia Optima, driven by 54-year-old George Alwyin Smith. Smith died in the wreck.

The Tahoe later struck a Ford Mustang driven by Carolyn Hageman, 35, of Apex. She was taken to Western Wake Hospital with minor injuries.

The Tahoe was reported stolen in Charlotte Tuesday morning, according to troopers. They are working with Charlotte authorities to get more information.

Troopers are awaiting the results of a blood-alcohol analysis from the State Bureau of Investigation, said Lt. Everett Clendenin of the Highway Patrol. But troopers said they believe alcohol was a factor in the wreck because the driver smelled of alcohol.

De Latorre, who works for a concrete company in Concord, had some form of identification with his picture on it, but he told troopers that the name on the ID wasn't his.

Agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement determined De Latorre was the man's correct name. Recardo De Latorre was captured twice in April 2004 trying to cross from Mexico into California, and his fingerprints matched those of the driver in Monday's wreck, authorities said.

Immigration authorities have no record of De Latorre in the past three years, and he has no criminal record. But authorities said he might have used aliases while in the U.S., so they have no way of tracking him.

De Latorre is charged with DWI, felony death by motor vehicle, two counts of assault with a deadly weapon, no operator’s license and careless and reckless driving.

"Right now, we're just dealing with a person who's given us a name. We have no proof who this person is," Clendenin said. "It's always frustrating, but it can get really frustrating when someone's not cooperating, providing false information and there's that communication barrier."

State and local law enforcement said they need better cooperation with federal immigration agents to give them faster access to immigration information, such as the fingerprint database that identified De Latorre.

"We have a security risk. If he gets out and makes bond before we find out who he is, then we've got problems down the road," Wake County Sheriff Donnie Harrison said. "We just have to go by the names that they give us and the identification they have, whether its fake or the right ID. We don't know."

Immigration officials said they would try to coordinate efforts more with the State Bureau of Investigation, which then could work with law enforcement agencies across North Carolina.

A passenger in the Tahoe, who identified himself as 18-year-old Roberto Castaneda, was injured in the wreck.

Castaneda doesn't face criminal charges in connection with the wreck, but authorities picked him up from WakeMed Tuesday after determining that he had been deported previously as an illegal immigrant.