Posted on 04/20/2005 8:12:21 AM PDT by flashbunny
Father Eleazar Perez, who lost his left leg in a hit-and-run accident, walked into court on one leg and crutches Tuesday and pleaded for leniency for the man who ran into him. It was an extraordinary court scene that the judge, prosecutor and defense attorney called unprecedented in their careers for the tragic circumstances, the remorse of the defendant and the unconditional forgiveness and petition for mercy from the victim.
It was also a case filled with irony, said Circuit Court Judge Jeffrey Conen. If Marco Parra-Romero, 19, had stopped after his car struck the priest, instead of running, he would not have been charged with a felony. And he would not be facing deportation back to Mexico.
But Parra-Romero said he fled the scene because he's undocumented and feared deportation. He crossed the border at age 17 to come to the United States to work to send money home to his mother and for the chance at a better life.
"I was afraid," he said in Spanish through a court translator.
After pleading guilty to hit and run causing great bodily harm on the night of Jan. 9, he apologized to the state and the entire community. But most of all he asked for forgiveness from Perez, his family and the community of St. Adalbert Catholic Church on the city's south side. He apologized for fleeing the scene. And he said that when he returns to Mexico, he will do whatever he can to make amends to Perez.
"I came to this country out of need. I never imagined this would happen," he said, his face filled with gloom.
Parra-Romero faced a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison and a $50,000 fine.
But Assistant District Attorney Thomas Potter and defense attorney Eduardo Borda asked Conen that Parra-Romero be sentenced to the time that he's served since his arrest, which is 99 days in prison.
Conen agreed, and Parra-Romero will be deported. Borda said his client won't fight the deportation. (Because he can just walk right back over the border again)
Conen said that during his eight years as a judge and 13 years as a criminal attorney, "nothing like this case has ever crossed my desk." Potter and Borda agreed.
All sides agreed that this was an accident caused not by recklessness or meanness, but poor winter road conditions.
But the biggest consideration in handing down a sentence was the wishes of the victim, Conen said.
In a prepared letter to the court, Perez expressed his forgiveness. He said he did not want restitution, but leniency.
"In some respects, I have nothing to forgive, as this accident could have happened to anyone," he said in Spanish through a translator. "This experience has helped me practice what I preach and has brought me even closer to God. My journey since the day of the accident has been one of forgiveness and complete surrender. I have surrendered everything up to God's healing power. I have no hard feelings toward Mr. Parra-Romero. On the contrary, I wish him well."
After the hearing, Perez said he was grateful to the judge for the sentence. "I'm convinced the law, in this case, served man," he said. "Maybe he didn't stop to help me (at the time of the accident) but there were others to help me - the paramedics and others who were with me. I was not left to die alone. I had the help that he couldn't give . . . This accident took my leg. But, in a way, it took his life."
Clearly you keep side stepping the issue and have never posted your solution to illegal immigration.
You didn't ask me for a solution. You editorialized what you wanted to dismiss. Make up your mind. You have all night. I'm out of here before I tell you all what I really think of your activities here tonight.
I'm going to ignore the FRmail, harrowup. Bring it out in the open, OK?
For anyone reading this...the mail wasn't BAD. I just want to talk in the open.
And, for the record, I don't want to know what city/burg YOU live in...THAT'S stepping outside the bounds of decency.
Have it your way:
To Brad's Gramma | 04/20/2005 10:38:47 PM MDT sent
"I have no reason to trust you to give you the name of what city I use the Illinois Migrant Council services. If you truly mean you are familiar with the WI/IL border counties then you know damn well how to look up the nursery businesses there and draw your own conclusions. Since I suspect you are merely yanking my chain I'll let you slide privately."
And, for the record, I don't want to know what city/burg YOU live in...THAT'S stepping outside the bounds of decency.
I live a lot of places, so that is not my concern. I wouldn't trust you not to call the Council Office pretending to be interested in...
You folks have a bad reputation for harassment.
I frankly don't believe you.
About what?
I've asked you several times to post your solution, maybe the following will prompt your memory:
You editorialized what you wanted to dismiss. Make up your mind. You have all night.
I commented on portions of your post that I thought were wrong. As far as the legal vs illegal "yard man", I see I made a mistake, as you point out in post #35...and in fact your yard man is a legal immigrant, so I apologize for that.
I've yet to meet anyone on these immigration threads that's against legal migrants...
I'm out of here before I tell you all what I really think of your activities here tonight.
Please don't run away...Feel free to tell me all you want, besides, you're the expert at editorialization and twisting peoples words into your fantasies that everyone here that stands up to illegal immigration is a racist...I belive you used the words "racist pigs"...And you don't even know my race or the race of others on this forum...
see 42
see42
Is that your response to # 46 ?
I'd deport them both.
He's not going to get 15 years for anything. His sentence was time served.
That's because you are paying income taxes, "entitlements", food stamps, medical, public housing subsidies, in-state college tuition (taxes), SSI, public school costs, inflated car insurance, etc. to make up for them.....
Sounds like an illegal alien or a smuggler.
>>He crossed the border at age 17 to come to the United States to work to send money home to his mother and for the chance at a better life.<<
WRONG! "to work to send money home to his mother SO SHE COULD COME TO THE US and for the chance at a better life.
>>None of the landscape or truck farming business in this region could ever survive without migrant labor.<<
Yes they can. The price of the product will rise though.
"he fled the scene because he's undocumented..."
Undocumented - my a$$ !
"he fled the scene because he's undocumented..."
Undocumented - my a$$ !
I would like to thank the fine priest for wanting to keep a criminal amongst us. Just another liberal goof self centered on his vanity.
So he wasn't prosecuted?
Your story gave me the warm fuzzies knowing that you got cheap lawn care and I got to pay for the schooling of another poor immigrant. But I confess I think you got the better part of the deal while all I got was the warm fuzzies you got them plus cheap lawn care.
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