Daily Mail, March 12, 2018

An undocumented immigrant suspected in a fatal hit-and-run was bonded out of jail before he could be detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Ivan Gerardo Zamarripa-Castaneda, 26, was booked at Denver Jail on Sunday on charges of vehicular homicide following a car crash on the eastbound lanes of I-70.

The Denver Sheriff’s Department alerted ICE in response to a request for release notification it received, but not until 6.33pm. The suspect was bonded out at 5.28pm, reported KDVR.

According to Denver police, Zamarripa-Castaneda fled the scene but was caught more than 12 hours later at his home.

ICE said it is currently working with the sheriff’s department to avoid a similar situation occurring in the future.

‘As law enforcement professionals, we should all have the same ultimate goal in mind– to protect the public by combating criminals,’ ICE Denver Field Office director Jeffrey Lynch said in a statement, referring to Zamarripa-Castaneda as an ‘immigration fugitive’.

Colorado state agencies stopped honoring detainer orders from ICE in 2014 after courts ruled it was illegal.

The crash occurred near eastbound Interstate 70 and North Brighton Boulevard on March 3 just before midnight when a semi truck and a pickup truck collided.

The semi truck caught fire and the 57-year-old driver died. Officials have not released the victim’s identity.

Meanwhile, Zamarripa-Castaneda, the driver of the pickup truck, fled. However, he was arrested at his home in the 2600 block of West Bayaud Avenue early on March 4.

Investigators said Zamarripa-Castaneda showed signs of impairment, such as slurred speech, watery eyes and the smell of alcohol on his breath, according to a probable cause statement obtained by Denver7.

The 26-year-old was asked to perform a sobriety test, which he agreed to, but he was not able to complete it. He also agreed to a blood test, but the results are still pending.

He was charged with one count of vehicular homicide-DUI and one count of leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for April 2.