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July 20, 2010

Driver in fatal crash indicted on manslaughter charge

An illegal immigrant who had been charged with negligent driving after police said he crashed his car while driving impaired on I-83 in June has been indicted on a charge of auto manslaughter, prosecutors announced this morning.

Freddy Alberto Cortez Flores, 22, of Hyattsville, was speeding 65 mph, 25 mph over the posted limit, in the far left lane of the highway near Guilford Avenue when prosecutors said he lost control of his car and struck a Jersey wall about 1 a.m. on June 21.

His passenger, Carlos O. Cardoza Portillo, was partially ejected from the car and his right arm and head was dragged 567 feet against the concrete wall and a chain link fence, the Baltimore State's Attorney's Office said. He was pronounced dead on the scene.

Police said Flores' speech was slurred and that officers detected a strong odor of alcohol on his breath. Cortez told police he had swerved to avoid a vehicle that had cut him off. His blood alcohol level was determined to be .09 percent, according to police charging documents.

Cortez, who has a valid Maryland driver's license, is being held without bail at the Baltimore City Detention Center. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency as put a detainer on him to prevent his release from custoy and could begin deportation proceedings after his trial in Baltimore.

Posted by Peter Hermann at 9:18 AM | | Comments (21)
Categories: Breaking news, Courts and the justice system, Downtown
        

Comments

An illegal immigrant with a Valid Maryland Drivers License. You can thank our state legislators for allowing it, but they want their votes.

Ok, so an ILLEGAL immigrant has a VALID MD license? Does that make sense to anyone?? DEPORT his @$$, this country doesn't need to spend anymore money on him! I'm moving to AZ!

Illegal aliens should not be able to get a license.The current gov. even wants to pay part of their college education.

Ok, can someone explain to me how this "ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT" has a "VALID" MD drivers license? Are you friggin kidding me? If you ever had any doubt that Arizona is doing the right thing this ought wake your sorry a$$ up!

A person who was in this country illegally had a valid MD license? Gee. Are there any more like him here?

Why is this man's immigration status the lead in this story? Why is it mentioned at all? It reminds me of the bad old days of journalism - Colored Man Rapes White Woman

I'm sorry to say that my best friend was an illegal immigrant (India). He got drunk and high one night and decided to try and kill himself by crashing his car into someones house. He didn't have insurance, registration on the vehicle, or a drivers license, and the cops found heroin and alcohol in his truck. Oh yeah and he was drunk. He lived thanks to Hershey Medical's ICU and went on to live totally repercussion and medical bill free for several years in the Harrisburg area. If you think anyone in charge has any idea how to regulate or control someone without a set address and bank accounts, think again.

Damn police'; he was in a hurry to take few more American's jobs while collecting WELFARE just about everything else including Food stamps and GOVERNMENT GRANTS now he is so happy to get three hots and A cot while white men stand on corner homeless and starving "NOTGOOD" I say throw his butt back over border instead for housing him for free!

David,
No one said anything about this man's race. He was driving while impaired. He committed manslaughter. He was in this country illegally. Those are the facts. News reports concerning criminals frequently list their current and past criminal acts.

This is to David. What you should be asking yourself and your elected officials is how he got a valid license. He broke the law when he illegally crossed our border, not to mention he broke other laws by getting behind the wheel with an illegally obtained license and he was drunk. Let's not forget, HE KILLED ANOTHER HUMAN. And you're worried because the article mentions he's an illegal immigrant. (shaking head)

@ David - the reason is simple...he is ILLEGAL.
@ HarlanR - Plenty...your current governor has made this a sanctuary state which means ILLEGALS can get a license with very little ID.

because if he was not here illegally driving impaired his passenger would not be deceased now that’s why how many laws was he out to break, being here illegally is against the law,driving drunk is against the law..

David: Your analogy is naive and foolish. The headline is certainly provocative, but it does not recall the racist undertones you suggest it does. You’re the one who drew this unprompted and shameful comparison.

i recently had an incident with a local restaurant i frequent. i called in an order and when i drove up to parking lot a man was urinating in the parking lot by his car. my children were in the car with me and it was around 9 in the evening. i went into the restaurant and explained what was happening in the parking lot when the hispanic gentleman(and i use the term loosely) who was urinating and a friend came in to buy liquor. the woman at the register who i have known for many years laughed and said they have been coming in buying booze since this morning as she sold them more alcohol. i was infuriated and even said this guy is going to kill someone and its not going to be anyone in my family. low and behold a drunk man kills a passenger. i only reference hispanic because the man tried to apologize to me. i will never go into this establishment again!! the cashier knew the man was drunk and let him buy more..how irrespinsible!!

You're right David, this is a race baiting story. The reason the Sun paints it that way is because it brings out all the fat, ignorant, uneducated, native low life waiting for the chance to tear down people willing to work harder than they are. If we could start the country over, people like that wouldn't be on the guest list. Being born in this country is the one moment of "accomplishment" in an otherwise dreary and unremarkable life for all of them. But the first rule of blog reading is ignore the trailer park trolls; leave them to their Budweisers, cigarettes, and soap operas. It's like mud wresting with a pig. You never do it because you both get dirty and the pig likes it.

I had no idea that illegals were allowed to legally obtain a Maryland license. I understand that the Democrats want the Hispanic vote but this is a bit much.

i don't know why you folks think the current gov. is solely responsible for this dirtbag getting a license. i was in the middlesex mva a few years ago and could not find an employee that spoke english.

You can thank Michael Busch, Mike Miller, Owe'Malley and Casa de Maryland. It's time to do away with our Sanctuary State and DEPORT all ILLEGALS.

Deport them? Does that mean they can come back with a different name and date of birth? After all, they know the system now. How about the State Special Prosecutor’s Office looking into a malfeasance or nonfeasance or misfeasance case against the State office holders responsible. Something with a little more importance than gift cards to Dixon I would think. That might change thinks rather quickly.

Codefendants in this state should be OMALLEY BUSCH and MILLER for allowing Maryland to be a sanctuary state.

he case should be dismissed as the officers probably did not read him his rights in Spanish or Toltenac (if he spoke only his Mexican native indigenous language).

Then we should have a three year investigation of the policeman for being racially insensitive.

He should sue, win $1MM and marry a fat blond from the USA.

The streets of the USA are definitely paved with gold

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About Peter Hermann
Peter Hermann started covering news for The Baltimore Sun in 1990, first in Anne Arundel County and, starting in 1994, reporting on the Baltimore Police Department. In 2001, he was assigned to Jerusalem as the Baltimore Sun's Middle East correspondent. He returned in 2005 as an assistant city editor overseeing crime coverage. In 2008, Peter returned to the beat as a daily reporter and blogger. A recent BBC report featured him in a segment on the harsh realities of covering crime in Baltimore.

Coverage will focus on crime trends, problems in neighborhoods in the city and elsewhere, profiles of victims and police officers and try to offer readers a fresh perspective on one of the most vexing issues facing Baltimore and its future.



Contributing to this blog is Justin Fenton, who joined The Sun in 2005 and has covered the Baltimore City Police Department and the criminal justice system since 2008. His work includes an investigation into Cal Ripken Jr.’s minor league baseball stadium deal with his hometown of Aberdeen, a three-part series chronicling a ruthless con woman, coverage of the killing of five Amish children at a schoolhouse in Nickel Mines, Pa., and a job swap with a British crime reporter to explore differences in crime-fighting. A special report looking into how city police handle rape cases led to sweeping reforms that changed the way sexual assaults are investigated in Baltimore. He was recognized as the best reporter in Baltimore by the City Paper in 2010 and by Baltimore Magazine in 2011.
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