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Illegal Immigrant Charged In DUI Crash That Killed Texas Teen On Thanksgiving

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Will Racke Immigration and Foreign Policy Reporter
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The man charged in the drunk driving death of a Texas teenager on Thanksgiving night is an illegal immigrant from Mexico, U.S. authorities confirmed Tuesday.

Jose Victor Chaparro-Saenz, 38, is accused of running a red light and smashing into a another vehicle, killing 14-year-old Rhyan Moody. Police arrested him at the scene of the crash in Lake Worth, Texas, and charged him with manslaughter, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and resisting arrest, according to FOX4 News in Dallas.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) lodged an immigration detention request for Chaparro-Saenz over the weekend, the agency told Fox News. He was previously caught trying to illegally enter the U.S. in 1998 and returned voluntarily to Mexico the same day, ICE officials said.

Police found alcohol in Chaparro-Saenz’s vehicle and said he appeared intoxicated. When officers tried to get into the car, Chaparro-Saenz refused to open the door and then resisted arrest, police said.

“He rolled up the window on officers and wouldn’t get out of the vehicle,” said Lake Worth Police Department Chief Corry Blount, according to FOX4. “[They] had to break out the glass, got the door unlocked. He tried to fight them, fight the officers.”

Moody, who was riding in the backseat of a car driven by her grandparents, died from blunt force head trauma sustained in the crash. The grandparents were also hurt, although the extent of their injuries is unclear.

Police said Chaparro-Saenz could face additional charges pending the outcome of an investigation.

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