Thread: PA-Hit-and-run illegal immigrant faces jail time

Hit-and-run illegal immigrant faces jail time
Hanover woman was left in a coma for weeks after being struck.
By KATHARINE HARMON
For the Daily Record/Sunday News


Article Last Updated: 09/29/2008 10:56:27 AM EDT


An illegal immigrant who struck a Hanover woman with his vehicle then fled to Mexico will spend up to two years in prison after pleading guilty in York County court.

Alejandro Aleman, 35, whose last known address was in the 100 block of Lincoln Way East in New Oxford, was charged after police said he struck 69-year-old Esther V. Rodgers in his 1993 Ford Mustang on Feb. 25 in the 400 block of Baltimore Street in Hanover.

The crash left Rodgers with a broken right leg and skull fractures. She remained in a coma at York Hospital for several weeks. She moved from a rehabilitation facility to a nursing home on May 29.

Rodgers' eldest son, Michael Rodgers, said then that his mother struggled with walking and memory, and she didn't remember her family members.

Hanover Borough Police were unable to find Aleman after the crash and assumed he left the area.

Witnesses at the scene told police the Mustang Aleman was driving had two occupants when it struck Rodgers. The car pulled over and paused before driving off.

The Mustang was later found abandoned and stripped of its license plate at Littlestown Community Park.

An affidavit filed along with Aleman's arrest warrant stated the vehicle and witness reports led police to identify Aleman and the passenger.

Aleman was found in early May in Texas as he crossed the border back into the United States.

On Thursday, Aleman pleaded guilty to accidents involving personal injury, failing to stop and render aid and

operating a vehicle with insurance or a license.
Aleman was sentenced to serve six to 23 months in York County Prison and received credit for time served because he was incarcerated on May 28. He is also responsible for paying $403 in related fines.

There is also an immigration detainer against Aleman, meaning U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services seek custody of him before his release.

Neither Rodgers nor her family members could be reached to comment on the proceedings.


http://ydr.inyork.com/ci_10590433

Weren't they a little harsh on him?