Seven-year-old Ivory Smith was killed by Venezuelan migrant Joel Enrique Gonzalez Chacin in a late-night drunk driving accident in north Houston simply two and a half months after ICE launched a maintain towards him, court docket paperwork revealed.
Fox 26 Houston reported that court docket data revealed that Chacin had beforehand been positioned on one other ICE maintain earlier this yr after being arrested for assaulting a member of the family in June.
The felony assault cost towards him ended up being dropped to a misdemeanor and, after pleading responsible, Chacin was sentenced to 113 days in jail, which he had already served, and was launched that very same day. The ICE detainer towards him was additionally lifted that very same day for an unknown motive.
Fox Information Digital reached out to ICE to search out out why the detainer towards Chacin was lifted and has not but heard again.
Authorities confirmed to Fox Information Digital that the 41-year-old migrant was intoxicated when he T-boned Christina Smith and her daughter Ivory at 2:45 a.m. Police mentioned that Chacin took pictures of the scene of the crash “as a substitute of serving to” after which drove off. The 2 victims have been just a few minutes from residence.
Smith was severely injured within the wreck however has since been launched from the hospital. Chacin was arrested for intoxicated manslaughter and has been placed on a brand new ICE detainer.
Ivory was in second grade. In response to an announcement launched by the household, the mom continues to “endure immense bodily and emotional ache” from the accident.
“No father or mother ought to need to endure the insufferable loss of a kid, particularly underneath circumstances that might and will have been prevented,” mentioned the household, including, the incident is a “stark reminder that we want stronger accountability and justice to stop additional struggling for households like ours.”
“Much more troubling is the truth that this particular person was launched after being detained earlier this yr, solely to search out themselves again in custody after inflicting irreparable hurt,” the household went on. “Why do we’ve got holds in place in the event that they fail to maintain harmful people off our streets? … How can a system enable such leniency, the place an individual with such a document is given an opportunity to stroll free and re-offend?”
Talking of Ivory, the household mentioned, “Her life, full of innocence and pleasure, was taken far too quickly because of the reckless actions of a person who selected to drive underneath the affect.”
“We are going to proceed to demand solutions and advocate for change in order that no different household has to endure the ache, loss, and injustice that we’re experiencing,” they mentioned. “Ivory’s mild and legacy deserve higher, and her reminiscence will information us as we work towards a safer future for all.”
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