Thread: Undocumented immigrant arrested in deadly OWI crash | Matias Roblero Emanuel

Undocumented immigrant arrested in deadly OWI crash in Dodge County

https://www.wisn.com/article/undocum...ounty/63632956

The sheriff's office says Hector Jared Toscano-Perez was driving under the influence and without a license
Updated: 10:39 AM CST Jan 31, 2025

Editorial Standards ⓘ

James Ganley

Kendall Keys

Reporter

BEAVER DAM, Wis. —A man in the country illegally is under arrest in Dodge County for allegedly driving drunk and causing a deadly two-car crash.

"It really is a tragedy and has upended the lives of a lot of people and a lot of family members," Dodge County Sheriff Dale Schmidt said.

The Dodge County Sheriff's Office says a family of five was also injured in the crash at the intersection of County Road A and County Road B in Beaver Dam on Sunday, Jan. 26.

Authorities say the suspect, 32-year-old Hector Jared Toscano Perez, who was previously deported in 2019, was driving under the influence and did not have a valid driver's license at the time of the crash.

"All of those factors combined make this an incident that never should have happened," Schmidt said.

Schmidt said Toscano Perez, who is from Tennessee but was in Wisconsin for work, took a company truck without permission and drove while intoxicated.

The pick-up truck belongs to South State Contractors, Inc., a Tennessee company. The company did not respond to WISN 12 News requests for comment.

Investigators say he failed to stop at a stop sign and did not attempt to slow down before colliding with a Cadillac Escalade.

The impact killed his passenger, 30-year-old Matias Roblero Emanuel and left five others injured.

The occupants of the other vehicle included Adam Mead, 35, and Sheila Mead, 39, of Fox Lake, along with their three children, ages 7, 11, and 13.

The children suffered minor injuries. Adam and Sheila sustained significant injuries requiring emergency air transport to a trauma center.

"We've got three kids who are younger kids just saw their their parents removed from a vehicle from a serious crash," Schmidt said.

Adam told WISN 12 News reporter Kendall Keys over the phone Friday that they are home from the hospital and have a long road to recovery ahead of them.

Authorities say Toscano Perez is facing multiple charges, including:

• Homicide by intoxicated use of a motor vehicle
• Operating a motor vehicle without owner's consent
• Operating without a valid driver's license resulting in death
• Three counts of injury by intoxicated use of a motor vehicle
• Failure to yield right of way resulting in death

Toscano Perez was hospitalized with serious injuries and booked into jail Friday afternoon.

Additionally, Schmidt said Immigration and Customs Enforcement has placed a detainer on him, and officials plan to work with ICE for his second deportation at the appropriate time.

Authorities also revealed that Toscano Perez and the deceased victim were in the area working for South State Contractors, Inc.

The sheriff said a news release that company supervisors admitted to knowing their employees were not legal residents and this information has been provided to ICE for further investigation.

Sheriff Schmidt addressed the incident, expressing frustration over federal immigration enforcement.

"This is an incident that never should have occurred," he said. "Individuals in our country continue to blatantly violate federal immigration laws, and the federal government has failed to protect our citizens. I look forward to the new administration taking this significant risk to public safety seriously."

The name of the suspected driver has been corrected with information from Wisconsin court records.