An illegal immigrant who pleaded guilty to causing a crash that killed a Colorado man could face up to a year in prison when he is sentenced on Friday, local reports said.
Ignacio Cruz Mendoza was charged with minor traffic offenses, including careless driving causing death, and pleaded guilty in July, 9News reported. If convicted, he could face up to a year in prison and a fine.
Fox reported earlier this year that Cruz-Mendoza was hauling steel pipes on Highway 285 when he lost control of a large tractor-trailer, causing it to go off the road and overturn.
Driver of lorry in fatal Colorado highway crash is illegal immigrant who has been deported from the US multiple times: ICE
L-R: Mugshot of Ignacio Cruz Mendoza in the wreckage of a fatal crash along U.S. 285 in Colorado. (Colorado State Police, KDVR)
A pile of pipes and angle iron spilled from the large trailer and splattered five other vehicles. Authorities said one person was killed and another was seriously injured. An ICE spokesman confirmed that Cruz Mendoza had a history of deportation to Mexico going back more than 20 years. ICE first became aware of Cruz Mendoza in April 2002 when he was arrested in Jefferson County, Oregon, on local charges, the ICE spokesman said.
An immigration judge ordered Cruz Mendoza deported to Mexico on May 29, 2002. Since then, he has been deported from the United States or voluntarily returned to Mexico 16 times, according to ICE.
The widow of Scott Miller, who died in the crash, criticized the district attorney for not filing more charges.
“I'm angry that there won't be justice for my husband because … this man will only get a year in prison at most because the prosecutor refused to charge him with anything more for killing my husband,” Dean Miller told 9News.
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“I feel like they're not doing their job,” Miller said. “They're not doing their job. Who else is going to get these bad truckers and bad trucking companies off the roads other than the people who are appointed to keep us safe?”
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9News reported that the DA's office was surprised when Cruz-Mendoza pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge and avoided further prosecution. The Jefferson County DA's office did not respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital but told 9News they are investigating the trucking company involved in the accident.
Fox News' Bradford Betts contributed to this report.
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