RICHMOND, VA - An illegal immigrant from El Salvador who had already been ordered to be deported from the United States escaped from a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center by using his bedsheets.
According to the New York Post, Dennis Arnoldo Zeledon Hernandez remained at large for five days after his escape. Hernandez was sentenced to a year and six months in prison for the escape from the Bowling Green prison back on July 2, 2023. He landed in ICE custody following his May 14, 2023 arrest in York, Virginia, for DUI, carrying a concealed weapon, and child neglect.
A release from ICE stated that he left a building at the Caroline Detention Facility, ran across a field, used his bedsheets to scale a fence and climbed onto a roof. Then, he jumped to the ground and fled into the woods. He spent two or three days on the run before meeting a Spanish-speaking man outside a restaurant who allowed him to use his phone to call a friend. The friend agreed to pick Hernandez up and take him to North Carolina.
Following a multi-agency manhunt, US Marshals arrested him on July 7, 2023, at an apartment complex in Durham, North Carolina. Hernandez illegally crossed the southern border back in 2016 and was handed over to ICE. However, he was released back into the United States after a judge granted his bond.
He did not show up for his next court hearing, which was in 2019 and in response a judge ordered his removal from the United States. He, however, never left. Hernandez was sentenced in December 2024 for obstructing an agency proceeding.
In a statement, Enforcement and Removal Operations Washington, D.C. Field Office Director Liana Castano said, "This case highlights the critical importance of cooperation between law enforcement agencies to ensure public safety and uphold the integrity of our immigration system. Apprehending noncitizens who attempt to evade lawful custody is a priority, as it reinforces our commitment to enforcing the law and protecting our communities."
In a separate incident, two illegal immigrants have been arrested after shooting at a vehicle during what appears to be a road rage incident in Loudoun County, Virginia. According to FOX 5, the suspects have been identified as 29-year-old Jimmy Paredes Madrid and 34-year-old Aldo Betancourth Rivera. Both men are undocumented and were living in Sterling.
Investigators determined that the suspects discharged a firearm at an occupied vehicle during a road rage incident, causing damage to the car, but both the driver and passenger did not sustain any injuries.
In a statement on Friday, December 6th, Loudoun County Sheriff Mike Chapman said, "I am determined to do everything possible to protect the citizens of Loudoun County and will continue to press for greater immigration enforcement to keep illegal drugs, gangs, and violent criminals out of our nation."
Betancourth Rivera has been charged with principle in the second-degree of shooting into an occupied vehicle, which is a class four felony. Paredes Madrid has been charged with shooting from a vehicle and shooting into an occupied vehicle, both also class four felonies. He was also charged with brandishing a firearm and a misdemeanor. Both suspects are being held without bond at the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center.
According to the New York Post, Dennis Arnoldo Zeledon Hernandez remained at large for five days after his escape. Hernandez was sentenced to a year and six months in prison for the escape from the Bowling Green prison back on July 2, 2023. He landed in ICE custody following his May 14, 2023 arrest in York, Virginia, for DUI, carrying a concealed weapon, and child neglect.
A release from ICE stated that he left a building at the Caroline Detention Facility, ran across a field, used his bedsheets to scale a fence and climbed onto a roof. Then, he jumped to the ground and fled into the woods. He spent two or three days on the run before meeting a Spanish-speaking man outside a restaurant who allowed him to use his phone to call a friend. The friend agreed to pick Hernandez up and take him to North Carolina.
Following a multi-agency manhunt, US Marshals arrested him on July 7, 2023, at an apartment complex in Durham, North Carolina. Hernandez illegally crossed the southern border back in 2016 and was handed over to ICE. However, he was released back into the United States after a judge granted his bond.
He did not show up for his next court hearing, which was in 2019 and in response a judge ordered his removal from the United States. He, however, never left. Hernandez was sentenced in December 2024 for obstructing an agency proceeding.
In a statement, Enforcement and Removal Operations Washington, D.C. Field Office Director Liana Castano said, "This case highlights the critical importance of cooperation between law enforcement agencies to ensure public safety and uphold the integrity of our immigration system. Apprehending noncitizens who attempt to evade lawful custody is a priority, as it reinforces our commitment to enforcing the law and protecting our communities."
In a separate incident, two illegal immigrants have been arrested after shooting at a vehicle during what appears to be a road rage incident in Loudoun County, Virginia. According to FOX 5, the suspects have been identified as 29-year-old Jimmy Paredes Madrid and 34-year-old Aldo Betancourth Rivera. Both men are undocumented and were living in Sterling.
Investigators determined that the suspects discharged a firearm at an occupied vehicle during a road rage incident, causing damage to the car, but both the driver and passenger did not sustain any injuries.
In a statement on Friday, December 6th, Loudoun County Sheriff Mike Chapman said, "I am determined to do everything possible to protect the citizens of Loudoun County and will continue to press for greater immigration enforcement to keep illegal drugs, gangs, and violent criminals out of our nation."
Betancourth Rivera has been charged with principle in the second-degree of shooting into an occupied vehicle, which is a class four felony. Paredes Madrid has been charged with shooting from a vehicle and shooting into an occupied vehicle, both also class four felonies. He was also charged with brandishing a firearm and a misdemeanor. Both suspects are being held without bond at the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center.
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