Nine of 15 people found without documentation after a traffic stop Aug. 2 on I-44 in Eureka were indicted Aug. 15 on felony immigration charges, the U.S. Attorney’s Office reported.
The nine had previously been deported and have been in immigration custody since Aug. 3. They will remain in custody until the conclusion of their criminal cases, the report said.
The other six people were determined to be first-time offenders and could face misdemeanor unlawful entry charges and be deported, assistant U.S. attorney Tom Albus said Tuesday (Aug. 21).
One of the nine is Rene Flores-Calderon, 34, who was identified as the driver who ran away from the scene after the SUV he was driving was pulled over by the Missouri State Highway Patrol for an unspecified traffic violation, according to the report.
Flores-Calderon was apprehended by Eureka Police on Aug. 3 on Hwy. 109 just south of the city, Eureka Police Capt. David Wilson said.
The investigation was turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Flores-Calderon is alleged to have illegally re-entered the U.S. after being deported from Del Rio, Texas, to Mexico in 2016. He was indicted on eight alien smuggling charges and one unlawful re-entry charge, and could face up to 10 years in prison for each charge, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
Another of the nine, Aaron Danilo Rivera-Urbina, 29, allegedly had been deported from Phoenix, Ariz., to Honduras in 2016 and has a prior criminal conviction. He faces up to 20 years in prison for unlawful re-entry, the report said.
The other seven people could face up to two years in prison, and all nine could be deported after completing a term of imprisonment, according to the report.
The others facing charges are:
■ Eladio Velasquez-Velasquez, 24, allegedly had been deported from Calexico, Calif., in 2018 to Mexico.
■ Elias Velasquez-Vleasquez, 30, allegedly had been deported from Brownsville, Texas, in 2009 to Mexico.
■ Enrique Sebastian Cedillo-Santiago, 24, allegedly had been deported from Brownsville, Texas, in 2017 to Guatemala.
■ Mynor Lucas Galvez-Galvez, 28, allegedly had been deported from Phoenix, Ariz., in 2015 to Guatemala.
■ Jose David Hernandez-Salazar, 34, allegedly had been deported from Chandler, Ariz., in 2007 to Honduras.
■ Carlos Joel Perez-Merino, 32, allegedly had been deported from Phoenix, Ariz., in 2018 to El Salvador.
■ Jose Danilo Balan-Boc, 21, allegedly had been deported in 2018 to Guatemala.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said the case was investigated by the ICE with assistance from the Missouri State Highway Patrol, St. Louis County Police, Eureka Police and Pacific Police.