Thread: Deadly Crash Leads To Investigation of Illegals | Cara Peters, Luke & Karl Ziebart

Deadly Crash Leads To Illegal Immigrant Investigation

Occupants Of Landscaping Truck Face Deportation Hearings

POSTED: 8:02 pm CDT March 30, 2009
UPDATED: 8:18 pm CDT March 30, 2009


The three men in the landscaping truck that struck a sport utility vehicle in Washington County Sunday morning -- killing three people -- have been jailed as illegal immigrants.

The sheriff said the driver, Ricardo Guerrero, and his passengers -- Armando and Javier Guerrero -- both revealed in interviews after the crash that they were in the United States illegally.

The three men are being held in the Washington County jail.

A communications officer from Immigration and Customs Enforcement sent a statement to 12 News that stated, "I can confirm that ICE placed detainers on these individuals, and they will be turned over to ICE custody and placed into deportation proceedings."

State records show that Guerrero received a valid driver's license in October 2006 before Wisconsin started requiring proof of legal presence in 2007. He received numerous minor moving violations since his license was issued.

A recording at Terra Tec Landscapes -- the Richfield, Wis. Company that owns the truck and employed the Guerreros -- said the company was closed Monday out of respect for the families.

The Washington County sheriff told 12 News his department is conducting a separate investigation into Terra Tec and the Guerreros' employment there.

Sheriff's Department Investigating Crash, Survivors Remain In Hospital

The victims' families have been holding vigil at Children's Hospital in Milwaukee where two 11-year-old children and a 14-year-old are being treated. Another survivor of the crash remains at Froedtert Hospital.

The Ziebart family and two family friends were on their way to a church event when the accident occurred. The tight knit group is devastated following the deaths of Karl Ziebart; his 9-year-old son, Luke and 12-year-old Cara Peters.

Investigators said road conditions were nasty -- slushy and icy -- when the two vehicles collided on Highway 164 in Washington County.

"The vehicles actually both turned in the same direction. Once the truck started crossing the other line, the other drive attempted to avoid it, and so they ended up hitting side to side," Washington County Sheriff Dale Schmidt said.

Schmidt said the sheriff's department completed an 'accident reconstruction' at the scene and is now trying to piece together the details.

http://www.wisn.com/news/19049910/detail.html