An illegal immigrant charged with a drunk driving crash that killed a seven-year-old girl could have been deported months ago, according to a report from DailyMail.
Joel Enrique Gonzalez Chacin, 41, is charged with intoxicated manslaughter following a December 1 car crash in Houston that killed seven-year-old Ivory Smith. This is Chacin’s second run-in with law enforcement this year.
The illegal immigrant reportedly spent 113 days in jail earlier this year for assaulting a family member. He was arrested in June and released on September 24. Court records show he was put on an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) hold, but not detained.
Records show that the customs enforcement hold was lifted, allowing Chacin to walk free. Fox 26 in Houston said it was unable to get answers from the ICE regional office as to why Chacin’s immigration hold was lifted.
Christina Quainoo, the mother of little Ivory Smith, is out of the hospital and recovering from injuries sustained from the crash.
The family released a statement complaining about a system that allows “leniency” to give a person with this record “a chance to walk free and re-offend.”
“It is with profound sadness that we acknowledge the heartbreaking loss of 7-year-old Ivory Giselle Smith,” the statement reads. “Her life, filled with innocence and joy, was taken far too soon due to the reckless actions of an individual who chose to drive under the influence.
The statement claims Quainoo is in “immense physical and emotional pain” from the accident and her daughter’s murder.
The family set up a GoFundMe page in the wake of the crash raising more than $31,000. Their goal is to reach $35,000 to support Quainoo’s record and legal efforts to get justice for Smith.
The family reportedly advocated against Chacin to receive bond. Against their wishes, his bond was set at $150,000.
