Free Republic

A CRACK team of scuba-diving sleuths has solved a staggering seven cold cases in just two months, bringing much-needed closure to heartbroken families who had been left without answers for years. The group, known as Chaos Divers, operates out of Southern Illinois and is comprised of divers Jacob Grubbs and Eric Bussick, and head of logistics Lindsey Bussick. The group users sonar technology to help solve cold cases that in some instances have been open for decades. Between October and December of last year, the trio managed to solve seven missing persons cases in a number of different states, including...

Homeland Security officials Wednesday named an illegal immigrant whom police accuse of killing a young woman in a drunken-driving accident to their list of 10 most wanted fugitives, hoping to capture a man who’s become a black eye for immigration agents. Agents failed to respond in February to pick up Eswin Mejia, 19, after he was charged with vehicular homicide by Omaha, Nebraska, authorities. . . . ICE Director Sarah Saldana appeared to stumble in testimony to Congress about the incident, saying that agents would have responded if the victim of the crash, 21-year-old Sarah Root, had already died, rather...

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump claimed Wednesday that "illegal immigrants are killing thousands of people." Trump was appearing on Fox & Friends and talking about 17-year-old Jamiel Shaw, Jr., who was shot and killed in 2008 by a Mexican immigrant brought to the U.S. illegally as a child named Pedro Espinoza. Espinoza, who killed Shaw because he mistakenly believed he belonged to a rival gang, was sentenced to death in 2012. Shaw's father, Jamiel Shaw, Sr., supports Trump's presidential campaign because of the businessman's positions on immigration. "The gangbanger who shot my son was in this country illegally. He was...

The Obama administration has ordered federal agents responsible for protecting one of the nation’s busiest and most crime-infested regions near Mexico to stop apprehending drunk drivers, according to an internal government memo that also concedes an officer that elects to detain them is “acting within the course and scope of his employment.” Obtained by Judicial Watch this week, the notice is titled “Enforcement Options With Alcohol-Impaired Drivers” and directs the 4,000-plus U.S. Border Patrol agents in the Tucson, Arizona sector to “release” individuals under the influence and “allow them to go on their way.” The document acknowledges that this feels...

Immigration officials knowingly released dozens of murderers back into the U.S. in 2013, according to Obama administration statistics detailing all of the criminal convictions of the more than 36,000 immigrants released from custody last year. The numbers show that the criminals released by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement had amassed more than 15,000 drunken-driving convictions, 1,317 domestic violence convictions, 727 sex crimes convictions and even four that the statistics listed as “treason, sabotage.” The immigrants were in deportation proceedings, meaning ICE was trying to remove them from the country and could have held them in detention, but released them anyway,

Twelve-year-old Jason Penate spent the holidays hanging close by his father. They picked out a Christmas tree and decorated the front window of their Gainesville, Va., home with candy canes, and Jason tried very hard not to think about whether his father would still be here in the new year. Jorge Penate, a Guatemalan national who came to the United States illegally in 1997, has a hearing scheduled Monday that will determine whether he can stay in the country. A drunken driving arrest two years ago launched deportation proceedings and cast his family’s future into uncertainty.Jason wrote a letter to...

Troopers all across Texas are going after drunk drivers this holiday season. The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) is aiming to lower the amount of drunk drivers across the state by increasing the amount of troopers, working overtime, and enforcing stricter rules. No refusals are among the stricter rules being enforced, meaning if an officer believes you are drunk and asks you to take a blood test you will most likely have to still take one. If you say no, the officer will get a warrant from a judge immediately to get your blood specimen. Saying no to a...

(MyFoxBoston.com) – The illegal immigrant who was drunk driving when he hit and dragged a Milford man to his death has been ruled incompetent to stand trial. Judge Janet Kinton-Walker says Nicolas Guaman's "unique cultural background" and language barrier means that he doesn't understand the court process. The court also said that he lacks the ability to consult with his attorney properly. The judge ordered Guaman's attorney to find an interpreter and educate him on the court process.

Voter dissatisfaction with Republicans and Democrats is at historic levels, and the tea-party movement is hoping to play kingmaker in the November elections. The country’s current breed of discontent is ideal for the tea parties, because economic concerns are foremost, allowing the movement to sidestep the divisions between its libertarian and conservative wings. As the elections near, however, voters will want to know where the party stands not just on the economy but on social issues. A perfect illustration is drug policy, where conservatives advocate continued prohibition but libertarians argue for legalization. Which way should the tea party lean when...

OGDEN -- Was it a friendly group bicycle ride through downtown Ogden or a confrontational melee that included obstructing traffic, assault, obscenities and alcohol? Depends on who you talk to. Numbers vary from 35 to 70, but a large group of cyclists, referred to as Critical Mass, was taking a monthly ride to celebrate cycling and assert their rights to the road on Friday when Ogden police say things got out of hand. Four individuals were arrested on charges of disorderly conduct, failure to disperse and public intoxication. Matt Hasenyager, owner of Skyline Cycle and one of the bicyclists, said...

A 27-year-old Omaha man has pleaded not guilty to charges stemming from a collision that fatally injured a 4-year-old Omaha girl this week. Eleazar Rangel-Ochoa appeared in Douglas County Court on Friday to enter his plea on charges of misdemeanor motor vehicle homicide and felony driving under suspension. His bail has been set at $1 million. He also waived his right to a preliminary hearing. Police say he ran a red light and struck a minivan driven by Jayme Bluhm on a west Omaha street early Tuesday. Bluhm’s 4-year-old daughter, Josie, was thrown from the van and suffered critical injuries....

The federal government’s abdication of border control has yet again become plain. Yet again, another drunken illegal immigrant is on trial for killing an American citizen. And yet again, we learn that he had been deported repeatedly. This case of vehicular homicide involves one Eulalio Haro, a 36-year-old illegal resident of Woodstock, Ill. Haro, authorities allege, was stinking drunk when he killed 71-year-old motorcyclist Dean Knospe. Authorities believe Haro’s blood alcohol registered at least 0.27 at the time of his arrest. Unhappily, nothing is unusual about this case. As newspapers across the country have reported, Hispanics being arrested for DUI...

Hard numbers: Illegal alien drunk drivers in North Carolina By Michelle Malkin • April 19, 2008 WRAL reports on a new statistical breakdown of illegal alien drunk drivers in North Carolina. It’s a blood-pressure-raising look at the deadly revolving door, catch-and-release, the deportation abyss, and the danger of sanctuary policies embraced by those sworn to defend and protect the public: Seven-year-old Marcus Lassiter won’t see his eighth birthday. George Smith was on his morning commute to Duke University but never made it to work. Betty Coates might struggle with daily tasks for the rest of her life. Johnston County Sheriff...

When Eliseo Hernandez came to the United States 30 years ago, he thought he drove better after a few beers. Driving drunk had been normal back in Mexico, he said. But Hernandez, 54, learned of its perils firsthand. He quit the practice after falling asleep at the wheel and hitting a tree 18 years ago. Then, last year, a young Hispanic man who authorities say was drunk nearly killed Hernandez's only son, Diego, in a crash on a rural Johnston County road. Eliseo Hernandez's daughter, who was nine months pregnant, lost her unborn child in the accident. Hernandez has spent...

SANTA FE New Mexico is taking its fight against drunken driving to men's restrooms around the state. The state has ordered 500 talking urinal cakes that will deliver a recorded anti-D-W-I message to bar and restaurant patrons who make one last pit stop before getting behind the wheel. The top of the devices feature the state D-W-I slogan -- "You drink, you drive, you lose." Some Albuquerque bars installed the devices this week. And the state Transportation Department plans to distribute them to Santa Fe bars and restaurants as well as establishments in Farmington, Gallup and Las Cruces. The state...

Woman Was Killed In 4-Vehicle Crash In October POSTED: 5:45 pm PST January 17, 2007 UPDATED: 6:58 am PST January 18, 2007 SAN DIEGO -- An illegal immigrant accused of driving drunk and killing a 22-year-old woman changed his guilty plea while in court on Wednesday. During what was supposed to be his sentencing, Rafael Ramirez Perez, 22, told the court that his public defender misadvised him and that his family had hired a new attorney. He had pleaded guilty to two counts -- to second-degree murder and driving under the influence causing great bodily injury -- and, according to...

So you had a few drinks too many and, for the first time in your life, got pulled over on your way home. The prosecutor offers a simple deal: Instead of going to trial, you can plead guilty to driving while intoxicated and get probation. That's an easy one, right? For a surprising number of first-time DWI offenders in Harris County, however, the choice isn't so clear. Facing the stiff costs and strict rules that come with probation, thousands of convicted drivers in recent years have decided spending time behind bars is the better option. And in a county already...

Rep. Patrick Kennedy (news, bio, voting record) crashed his car near the Capitol early Thursday, and a police official said he appeared intoxicated. Kennedy said he had taken sleep medication and a prescription anti-nausea drug that can cause drowsiness. Kennedy, D-R.I., addressed the issue after a spate of news reports. His initial statement said: "I consumed no alcohol prior to the incident."'Later, however, he issued a longer statement saying the attending physician for Congress had prescribed Phenergan on Tuesday to treat Kennedy's gastroenteritis.Kennedy said he returned to his Capitol Hill home on Wednesday evening after a final series of votes...

RALEIGH, N.C. -- WRAL has learned that 33 percent all drunken drivers arrested in Wake County are Hispanic, although the latest census numbers indicate that Hispanics make up only 7 percent of Wake County's population. This past weekend in Wake County, 69 people were arrested and charged with DWIs. Twenty-three of those drivers were Hispanic. While DWI is the most common charge, many of those charged with that face additional charges, such as driving without a valid license. People on both sides of this issue say more education is the key to helping solve this problem. “We've known for some...

BLACKSBURG, Va. -- Eight out of 10 crashes involve drivers who are drowsy, chatting on a cell phone, applying makeup or otherwise distracted from the road ahead, according to a government study released yesterday that videotaped people behind the wheel. Reviewing thousands of hours of video and data from sensor monitors linked to more than 200 drivers, researchers found that a wide range of distractions can lead to crashes or near crashes. Reaching for a moving object while driving increased the risk of a crash by nine times, while reading or applying makeup from behind the wheel enhanced the risk...