Illegal Alien Charged with HOMICIDE in Crash that Killed Correction Officer

By:Max Heuer and Luke Foster , Journal Inquirer

SUFFIELD - A Hartford man has been charged with negligent homicide in connection with an accident on Mountain Road early Thursday morning that killed a motorcyclist who was a correction officer from Canton, police said. The man, Luis Perez-Lopez, 23, was arraigned Thursday afternoon in Enfield Superior Court, where Bail Commissioner Paul Maselek said Perez-Lopez was an illegal immigrant from Guatemala who had been working in Suffield. According to Maselek, Citizenship and Immigration Services had ordered Perez-Lopez held as of Thursday, making the $50,000 cash or surety bond set by Judge Howard Scheinblum essentially meaningless. The crash killed Gary Thorenson, 47, a correction officer, police said. Information on which state facility he worked at was unavailable today. Thorenson had been traveling west on Mountain Road on a motorcycle while Perez-Lopez was driving east in a Toyota Camry approaching the intersection of Hill Street shortly before 7 a.m. A police officer and several bystanders lifted the car off the trapped Thorenson, the report states. He was taken by Life Star to Hartford Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Perez-Lopez later told police through a translator that the sun was in his eyes when the accident occurred, police said. Given Perez-Lopez's direction of travel and the time of day, it is possible the sun was in his eyes, police said. Soon after the accident, police said they learned that Perez-Lopez is an illegal alien from Guatemala. Through a translator, Perez-Lopez gave police a statement about the incident. An accident reconstruction team quickly found there was probable cause that Perez-Lopez was at fault in the crash, police said. Perez-Lopez was arrested at the scene because police felt that if he were allowed to leave, there was a high risk they wouldn't be able to locate him again since he isn't a legal resident of the United States, police said. In addition to negligent homicide with a motor vehicle, Perez-Lopez also faces charges of operating an unregistered motor vehicle, failure to maintain minimum liability insurance, failure to grant right of way when making a left turn, operating a motor vehicle without a license, and having a device obstructing the windshield. The last charge was filed because there was an air freshener and other objects hanging from the vehicle's rear view mirror, police said. Perez-Lopez is scheduled to appear again in Superior Court on May 2. Any witnesses to the accident are asked to call Sgt. Shawn Nelson, 668-3870. One thing is for sure. If this ILLEGAL Alien was not in the country Gary Thorenson would still be alive. While I understand that conditions in Latin America are not all that good, Americans are paying a high price so ILLEGAL ALIENS can drive with no insurance, unregistered and with no license. Let alone the crap he had hanging from his rear view mirror. Illegal Alien Perez-Lopez may or may not be taking a job that an American won't do, but this does beg the question: Is he only KILLING the American(s) that Americans don't want to kill? How many more need to give their lives or suffer severe injury or property damage so the illegals can send a few dollars back to some country few can find on a map? When is enough enough? What will be the justice for Mr. Gary Thorenson and his family? Enough is enough don't you think?