Tennessee officials are searching for a suspect in a hit-and-run that left a woman dead, noting that he has a lengthy criminal history including being in the country illegally.
Juan Francisco, 54, is accused of slamming into Debbie Burgess with his vehicle on April 8, killing her. He then fled the scene.
It wasn’t clear if Francisco was deported after any of his convictions.
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency was assisting local law enforcement in the search for Francisco, it said on April 16.
Illegal Immigrant Driving Without a License Hits, Kills 13-Year-Old
A woman who slammed into a 13-year-old girl riding her bike to school, killing the girl, was driving without a driver’s license, Florida officials said on April 3.Micaela Coronel, 25, a native of Argentina, hit Mariana Pérez Borroto, in Kissimmee on April 3.
Mariana was riding her bicycle to Lake Marion Creek Middle School, where she was attending in eighth grade.
Coronel told Polk County Sheriff’s deputies that she was in the United States on a “visitor pass” as of October 2018 and presented an Argentine identification card.
“She does not have a Florida driver’s license, and deputies determined through their investigation that she does not have a valid driver’s license at all,” the sheriff’s office stated.
At the time of the crash, condensation covered about four-fifths of Coronel’s windshield, obstructing her view, according to deputies.
Judd told reporters at a news conference the day after the crash that Coronel was in the country illegally on an expired work visa, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The agency has placed a detainer on the woman, meaning when she is released either with or without a conviction and sentence, she will be deported.
“She’s here illegally, she’s operating a motor vehicle illegally, and she runs over a child. This simply wouldn’t have happened if she was in her country of origin, Argentina,” Judd added of Coronel. “Here’s one more example of someone illegally in this country clearly violating the law. There is no excuse.”
Coronel was arrested and charged with operating a motor vehicle without a valid driver’s license causing death.
Friends Read Free