Suspect in crash that killed Marion Co. deputy mistakenly released from Mexican prison

Alfredo De Jesus Ascencio was arrested in January in Puebla, Mexico. He had been wanted by law enforcement in Oregon for nearly a decade.

Investigators said De Jesus Ascencio hit a patrol vehicle driven by Marion County Deputy Kelly Fredinburg head-on near Gervais on Highway 99E in June 2007.

Fredinburg, who was heading to an emergency call, died in the crash. One of De Jesus Ascencio's passengers, 19-year-old Oscar Ascencio Amaya, was also killed.

De Jesus Ascencio, who was 20 years old at the time, was indicted on two counts of criminally negligent homicide in August 2007, but he fled to Mexico before he was arraigned on the charges.

In the years that followed, rewards were offered and a Mexican arrest warrant was issued for De Jesus Ascencio.

He was finally caught on Jan. 20 of this year.

However, one month later, on Feb. 21, he was released from a federal prison in Mexico due to an "administrative error," according to the FBI.

The victims' families have been informed throughout the process, but De Jesus Ascencio's release was not made public due to ongoing attempts to locate him, according to authorities.

There is an active warrant for his re-arrest. A reward up to $20,000 is being offered for information that leads to his arrest.

Anyone with information about De Jesus Ascencio is asked to call 1-800-452-7888 or 503-823-HELP. Tips can be emailed to crimetips2OSP@state.or.us. Refer to case #07-28.

Oregon State Police and the Marion County District Attorney's Office have been working jointly with the FBI, the U.S. Embassy, Interpol and the Mexican Attorney General's Office to locate De Jesus Ascencio.