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Authorities are searching for a fugitive and what may have led to an undocumented immigrant fleeing. Eswin Mejia, 19, from Honduras, is due in court Friday, but he's nowhere to be found. He's accused of drunken driving and killing Sarah Root, 21, on Jan. 31, hours after she graduated from Bellevue University.Listen to the entire audio recording of Eswin Mejia's bond hearing from Feb. 4.Mejia was booked into jail 12 hours after allegedly killing Root. Police said his booking sheet indicated that he is not a U.S. citizen. A judge set his bond four days later.The hearing in judge Jeffrey Marcuzzo's court lasted two and a half minutes. The judge first heard from prosecutors, then the defense."On Jan. 31 of this year, (the) victim was eastbound on L Street, coming to a stop at 33rd Street," Douglas County deputy attorney David Wear said. "(The) defendant was racing with another car when he rammed into the back of the victim's car, which had come to a stop. The defendant's blood alcohol content was .241." "Looking at my client's previous record, it doesn't appear to have any felony traffic," Mejia's attorney Thomas Niklitschek said. "He's also eligible for the court's 24/7 sobriety program. I think that's a positive event in the situation. I would ask for a reasonable bond, judge. He's been in Omaha for the past three years, has a lot of family here who would support him." The judge waited 15 seconds before making his decision."Your bond (is set) at $50,000, 10 percent," Marcuzzo said. "If you do post that bond, it'll authorize you for the pre-trial release program and the 24/7 program.""My daughter's life accounts for more than freakin' $5,000 to bail him out," said Sarah Root's mother, Michelle Root.Michelle Root spoke with KETV NewsWatch 7 by phone, as she prays for justice. "Every night, every day, every second and he will be caught," Michelle Root said.Court records show Mejia posted bond on Feb. 5, the day after the hearing. Then he vanished.Douglas County attorney Don Kleine said there are communication gaps between local and federal agencies."At least at the bond setting itself, no one knew for sure what his immigration status was," Kleine said. "We didn't know. there were concerns, but we didn't know, and I don't think the court was ever advised what his immigration status was. I don't think pre-trial release realized that, either. I don't think they ever really know. They're not part of law enforcement."Before Mejia's release, police said they asked for an immigration hold several times, but Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) denied the request, saying Mejia had "no prior significant misdemeanor or felony conviction record."Pre-trial release staff also gave Mejia a score of two out of seven, which is considered a low-flight risk.The Douglas County attorney tells us Mejia was also a no-show in the past -- missing a court appearance for driving under suspension, leading to a warrant for the teen's arrest.Kleine says the prosecutor at the bond hearing did not ask for a higher bond because the judge did not ask for the state's recommendation or opinion."We've talked about that, how we handle that even if the judge doesn't ask us, if we should interject, or we should be involved more," Kleine said. "So he thought he had laid out the facts enough that the judge knew how serious this was, that the judge would set a higher bond, but he didn't ."Mejia's defense attorney declined our interview for a request.Judge Marcuzzo tells KETV NewsWatch 7 he cannot comment on an open case.A spokesperson with the Nebraska State Court issues this statement:"According to judges, they do not get any paperwork from pretrial release, rather simply a score. "The score encompasses a number of things. Judges have no way of knowing if there were previous failures to appear unless the prosecutor mentions it during the hearing. I am not sure it is appropriate to address Mejia's legal status when he was in front of the judge at the bond hearing. It wasn't an issue. The issue was whether or not he was drinking, not whether or not he was a U.S. Citizen, which makes it hard to address. A judge can't ask a defendant their immigration status or assume anything from their appearance." *****The Omaha Police Department and Crime Stoppers are asking for the community's help in finding him.All tips go through a process where the person supplying the information is given a code word and number, so he or she can't be identified.If a suspect/suspects are caught and charged, the tipster could be eligible for a cash reward. You can tip by calling 402-444-STOP, by texting 'OPD' and the message to 274637 or you can tip online: http://omahacrimestoppers.org/.