Raleigh, N.C. — A man accused of drunken-driving in oncoming traffic and causing a triple fatal wreck Sunday was placed under an immigration detainer at the time of his arrest, the Wake County Sheriff's Office said Wednesday.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement placed the detainer on Francisco Javier Martinez, 30, of 1925 Village Squire Circle in Knightdale, following his release Tuesday from WakeMed, where he was recovering from his injuries.
At that time, he was arrested and charged with one count of driving while impaired, three counts of felony death by motor vehicle, two counts of felony serious injury by motor vehicle, one count of driving the wrong direction and one count of driving without a license.
The detainer means Martinez would be placed in federal custody if he posts bail, under suspicion of being in the country illegally. Once the case goes through the legal system and any sentence is served, deportation proceedings would begin against him.
Martinez was traveling westbound in an eastbound lane on the inner loop of Interstate 440 early Sunday when the van he was driving collided with a Lexus near the on-ramp from Capital Boulevard, police said.
Guillermo Zintzun Jimenez, 26, Dagoberto Zintzun Jimenez, 21, and Santiago Pascual Tellez, 14, died at the scene.
During Martinez's first court appearance Wednesday afternoon, a judge ordered he be held under a $500,000 secured bond – an increase from $126,000.
Assistant District Attorney Tom Ford asked the bond to be doubled in light of the ICE detainer and because Martinez could be indicted on more serious charges.
Under the charges he faces now, Martinez could receive a maximum sentence of 59 months for each death charge.
Family members of the victims said they were returning from a party at the time of the wreck.
Tellez, a student at East Wake Middle School, was supposed to return home earlier with his brother but wasn't ready to leave the party when his brother did, relatives said.
A police report on the collision stated Guillermo Jimenez, who was driving the Lexus, had not been drinking. Dagoberto Jimenez and Tellez were not wearing seat belts, police said.
Two other passengers – brothers Jose Canuto Canuto, 24, and Louis Alberto Canuto, 21– survived. They were both at home Wednesday recovering from their injuries.
Suspect in triple fatal wreck under immigration detainer
- Reporters: Adam Owens, Amanda Lamb
- Photographer: Jamie Munden
- Web Editors: Kelly Hinchcliffe, Kelly Gardner
RELATED TOPICS: Wake County, Knightdale, Raleigh
Copyright 2011 by Capitol Broadcasting Company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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WRONG, They do not deport for misdemeanor iTS A FEDERAL LAW, CHECK THE NEW ICE LAWS AND HOMELAND SECURITY
May 29, 2008 8:21 a.m.
May 28, 2008 8:04 p.m.
Um, no. Whites will be about half the population in 2050, not 20 years from now . ( You know what year it is right?) You are forgetting, that almost half the Hispanics indentify themselves as white on the Census, so in reality whites will consititute 72% of the pop in 2050. I guess that pops your racial bubble huh?
May 28, 2008 8:03 p.m.
May 28, 2008 7:15 p.m.
Take your head out of your Liberal sand. What part of Latino don't you understand! Better yet, what part of "Status Undetermined" don't you understand.
I think we should have a "Law and Order Jack McCoy" as our next district atty. It's obvious he's oblivious and clueless as well.
May 28, 2008 6:55 p.m.