The Oregonian
PORTLAND, Oregon -- Authorities had clear reason to suspect Alejandro Emeterio Rivera Gamboa was in the United States illegally nine months before he was accused of slaying 15-year-old Dani Countryman.
On Nov. 13, 2006, Rivera Gamboa pleaded guilty to two counts of drunken driving. He also disclosed that he was not a U.S. citizen and signed a plea agreement that read, in part: "I understand that if I am not a citizen of the United States, a criminal conviction could cause me to be deported, denied United States citizenship, or refused the right to re-enter the United States."
The document is the first direct evidence that authorities missed an opportunity to expel Rivera Gamboa before police allege he strangled Countryman at a Milwaukie apartment complex. Rivera Gamboa was later released from custody without anyone in the criminal justice system notifying immigration authorities, as is common in the flood of misdemeanor cases that come through the system in the Portland area.
Posted by tyne at August 16, 2007