Politics
Fatal Ohio crash leads GOP senator to challenge Connecticut driver's license policy
Sen. Bernie Moreno criticized Gov. Ned Lamont after an undocumented driver holding a Connecticut license was charged in a deadly collision.
The short version
- Washington Guillermo Naula-Ochoa was charged with vehicular manslaughter following an August 29 fatal collision in Ohio that killed 29-year-old Austin J. Karr Grimes.
- Federal immigration authorities placed an ICE detainer on Naula-Ochoa, an Ecuadorian national who possessed a Connecticut drive-only license.
- Sen. Bernie Moreno demanded an apology and policy changes from Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont, who defended the licensing system as a roadway safety measure.
- Naula-Ochoa remains detained facing state criminal charges and federal immigration proceedings.
Key facts
- Austin J. Karr Grimes was killed on August 29 in Fulton County, Ohio, after a truck driven by Washington Guillermo Naula-Ochoa allegedly failed to yield at a stop sign and struck his vehicle.[Fox News]
- The Ohio State Highway Patrol charged Naula-Ochoa, a 34-year-old Ecuadorian national, with vehicular manslaughter and failing to yield at a stop sign.[Fox News]
- Immigration and Customs Enforcement placed an immigration detainer on Naula-Ochoa at the Corrections Center of Northwest Ohio.[Fox News]
- Sen. Bernie Moreno sent a letter demanding answers from Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont because Naula-Ochoa held a Connecticut drive-only license issued under a program for undocumented residents.[Fox News]
- Gov. Lamont expressed condolences to the victim's family and defended Connecticut's drive-only license policy, stating that testing and insuring undocumented drivers improves overall road safety.[Fox News]
What remains uncertain
- The outcome of the criminal charges against Naula-Ochoa and the specific timeline for ICE detainer enforcement remain pending legal proceedings.[Fox News]