1 Million Dollar Bond in DUI Case
The judge in the case involving the death of a four-year-old girl has set the bond for $1 million dollars. The man who is accused of running a red light and causing a fatal crash that killed the little girl, has plead not guilty in his Friday court appearance at Douglas County Corrections.
“We just want everyone to know that my client is devastated by this situation,” says the offender’s attorney Joseph Lopez Wilson. “It’s very unfortunate. He is not a father but has young family members. and just totally devastated by it.”
He is charged for driving under suspension and if found guilty will serve a maximum sentence of five years.
“The bond was set was set at one-million dollars. I thought it was excessive for this type of case,” says Wilson. “But I think the judge felt some pressure because of the media and the little girl dying. I’d probably do the same if I was in the judge’s position. You can’t blame him for that.”
The offender has had a hold placed on him by Federal Authorities because he is an illegal immigrant. There’s no expiration date to the immigration hold.
His driver’s license had been suspended in 2002 after his third conviction on DUI.
State authorities explained to Channel 6 News that when the offender was first issued a license in 1998, the system of checking social security numbers against a Federal data base was not as reliable as it is today. In 2003, the offender was turned away at the DMV because of his 15-year license suspension and because he couldn’t provide proper documentation to prove who he said he was.
The offender was driving a brother-in-law’s pickup. It’s possible the brother-in-law who owns the pickup could face charges if he knowingly allowed a suspended or unlicensed driver to use the vehicle. A few cases are filed every year in Omaha as a way for investigators to try to keep suspended drivers from having access to a vehicle.
According to sources, at any given time, there are 100,000 drivers in Nebraska who have suspended licenses.