An illegal immigrant who had already been ordered deported escaped from a detention center in Virginia by using bed sheets before going on the lam for five days.
Dennis Arnoldo Zeledon Hernandez was sentenced to a year and six months in prison for the daring escape from the Bowling Green lockup on July 2, 2023, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement said Monday.
The Salvadoran migrant had landed in ICE custody following his May 14, 2023 arrest in York, Va., for DUI, carrying a concealed weapon and child neglect.
He left a building at the Caroline Detention Facility, ran across a field, used the sheets to scale a fence and climbed onto a roof, the agency said. He then jumped to the ground and fled into the woods, the agency said.
Zeledon spent two or three days on the run before meeting a Spanish-speaking man outside a restaurant who allowed him to use his phone to call a friend. That pal agreed to pick him up and take him to North Carolina.
US Marshals arrested him on July 7, 2023 in an apartment complex in Durham following a multi-agency manhunt.
Zeledon crossed the border in 2016, was handed over to ICE, but was ultimately released into the US after a judge granted his bond.
He, however, failed to appear in court for his next hearing in 2019 and a judge ordered his removal from the US.
But he never left.
Zeledon was sentenced earlier this month for obstructing an agency proceeding.
ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Washington, DC Field Office Director Liana Castano said in a statement that the arrest “highlights the critical importance of cooperation between law enforcement agencies to ensure public safety and uphold the integrity of our immigration system.”
“Apprehending noncitizens who attempt to evade lawful custody is a priority, as it reinforces our commitment to enforcing the law and protecting our communities,” Castano said.
