Log in to WRAL.com with one click using your favorite social network:
OR
Log in using your WRAL.com account:



Wrong email/password combination.

Forgot password?

Register with WRAL.com using your favorite social network:
OR
Register for a WRAL.com account using our web form.

Login Options

7:11 p.m. • 2-10-12

Weather Forecast for Raleigh

  • Sat: Mostly Cloudy.
    • Hi: 52° F
  • Sun: Clear.
    • Hi: 43° F
  • Mon: Mostly Cloudy.
    • Hi: 50° F

Other Locations

> 7 Day Forecast

Doppler Image

Marketplace Links

Social Links

Main Menu

Victim's Family Blames Federal Government For DWI-Related Fatality


e-mail print friendly

The daughter of an Orange County woman killed in a crash blames the federal government for her mother's death, saying the suspect never should've been on the road, let alone in the country.

"It's wrong, it's all wrong," said Stacy Koon.

Koon's mother, Faye Coleman, was driving along Highway 86 on Jan. 21 when she was killed in a head-on collision. The driver, Isael Medrano, had a blood-alcohol content of .09.

Medrano is a native of Mexico and an illegal alien. On Jan. 24, 2005, he was charged with driving while intoxicated. He later pleaded guilty to the charge. Despite that, Medrano remained in the United States.

"I thought the government was supposed to take care of us," said Koon. "If you're an illegal alien, you shouldn't be here in the first place, and you shouldn't be set free if you commit a serious crime."

Prosecutors said they are unaware if someone is illegal unless Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, alerts them. With 300,000 illegal immigrants in North Carolina, an ICE spokesman said, it's difficult to track each one.

Still, Koon believes the agency needs to do better.

"This could happen to anybody," she said. "It was not supposed to happen to us, but this is everyone's problem."

Medrano is in jail on $200,000 bond. ICE officials have issued an order to deport hiim if he is released.

  • Reporter:
  • Photographer: Don Ingle
  • Web Editor: Dana Franks

RELATED TOPICS: Orange County

e-mail print friendly

0 Comments


WRAL.com welcomes your comments on this story. All comments are moderated prior to publication based on our posting guidelines. Please review them prior to posting and if your message is not approved.

View Comments 0 COMMENTS

This story is closed for comments.

View Comments 0 COMMENTS
Report It

Multimedia

Click Here