Previously Deported Illegal Alien Accused of Killing Father of Three in Drunken Hit-and-Run

A previously deported and released illegal alien is accused of killing a father of three daughters in a drunk driving hit-and-run crash in upstate New York.

Heriberto R. Perez-Velasquez, a 31-year-old illegal alien from Guatemala, hit and killed 59-year-old Mark Knapp in Weedsport, New York, on November 10, according to the Cayuga County Sheriff’s Office. Police said Knapp was driving his tractor to get it washed when Perez-Velasquez was drunk driving and hit the father of three. Knapp was a retired electrician and belonged to the local IBEW Local 43 union.

Knapp, police said, was thrown from the tractor and died. Knapp leaves behind his wife, Sharon Hildebrant, as well as their three daughters, Samantha Knapp, Kaitlynne Knapp, and Christy Stoneburg, and his grandson, Coby.

War Secretary Pete Hegseth spends Thanksgiving with US troops in Latin America: ‘We are grateful for you’

National Guard member Sarah Beckstrom dead after DC shooting: ‘Highly respected’

Erika Kirk shares emotional Thanksgiving message honoring Charlie: ‘What remains is sacred’

Angel Families thank Trump in new Thanksgiving video for his border security efforts: ‘We appreciate you’

Trump says US will begin stopping Venezuelan drug traffickers by land: ‘Going to start very soon’

Breaking: Trump Announces Female National Guardsmen Has Died Following DC Shooting

Shedeur Sanders responds to Trump’s support after first win: ‘I TOLD YOU SO’

Flashback: Newsom’s 2020 Thanksgiving Rules Should Remind Us What True Authoritarianism Looks Like

DNC chair ‘never wants to hear again’ that Democrats have ‘problem with young men’

DHS moves to cut off South Texas Catholic Charities over migrant grant ‘misconduct,’ documents say

‘Jack Will Be the Architect’: Trump Teams with Jack Nicklaus to Revamp ‘Presidential Golf Course’

Thanksgiving recipes from America’s first families — presidential dishes to try at home

Pope Leo XIV speaks in Turkey ahead of ecumenical meeting with Orthodox patriarch

Military reveals just how much turkey shipped globally to ensure American troops enjoy Thanksgiving meal

Navy Sailor Makes Ultimate Sacrifice Saving Children from Dangerous Hawaiian Surf

Following the crash, police said the illegal alien fled the scene, but was eventually stopped by sheriff’s deputies and a pedestrian. Aside from allegedly driving drunk, Perez-Velasquez had been driving without a license and he was not authorized to be driving the car, police said.

A month before the deadly hit-and-run, though, Perez-Velasquez was released by Wayne County, New York, officials and not turned over to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency after he was arrested for drunk driving.

In that drunk driving case, police said Perez-Velasquez ran from officers but was eventually caught and charged.

“Had Mr. Perez-Velasquez been detained by ICE after his October 2019, DUI arrest, a life might have been spared,” Acting ICE Director Matt Albence told CNY Central. “Sanctuary jurisdictions that do not honor detainers or allow us access to jails and prisons are shielding criminal aliens from immigration enforcement and jeopardizing the lives of law-abiding citizens.”

Wayne County officials confirmed that Perez-Velasquez was not turned over to ICE due to a series of legal complications, and instead was given an order to appear in court.