DUI Suspect In Death Of Colts Player Was 2 Times Over Limit: Cops

INDIANAPOLIS, IN — The Associated Press reports prosecutors filed felony charges on Wednesday against an immigrant illegally living in the U.S., who's suspected in a drunken-driving crash that killed Indianapolis Colts linebacker Edwin Jackson and Uber driver Jeffrey Monroe on Interstate 70 Sunday. Manuel Orrego-Savala, 37, a citizen of Guatemala who has twice been deported from the U.S., is charged with causing death while driving intoxicated and leaving the scene of an accident, AP News reports. The news outlet adds Orrego-Savala didn't say much during his initial court hearing, responding through an interpreter as the judge explained the charges and court proceedings.

Orrego-Savala was arrested shortly after leaving the scene on foot, following the fatal incident. Officials say Jackson, 26, and his Uber driver, Monroe, 54, were standing outside Monroe's car along I-70 when they were hit early Sunday morning by a pickup truck driven by Orrego-Savala.

AP News reports court documents allege a blood test conducted at a hospital found the driver with a blood-alcohol level of more than double Indiana's legal limit for driving, where the two most serious charges each carry a maximum of up to 20 years in prison.

Orrego-Savala appeared Tuesday before a judge who advised him of his rights, and Indianapolis television station WRTV reported that Orrego-Savala told the judge through an interpreter, “I wasn’t driving the car. I don’t know why I am here.” However, AP News says a police news release did not mention the presence of anyone else in the pickup truck.

Orrego-Savala was deported in 2007 and 2009, and was again living illegally in the U.S. at the time of the crash, according to investigators. AP News says he was charged late Tuesday by federal prosecutors with illegal re-entry of a previously deported alien, adding that for that charge, he faces up to 10 years in prison, which the U.S. attorney’s office said would be handled after any state charges are resolved.

President Donald Trump drew added attention to the case on Twitter, calling the highway collision that killed Jackson and Monroe “disgraceful.” The president also prodded Democrats to work with him on illegal immigration and border security.

AP News reports a spokesman for Jackson’s family has said his relatives are devastated and planned no response to tweets sent out by President Trump Tuesday morning about the crash and the suspect’s immigration status.

More from Patch on this story:

• Edwin Jackson, Indianapolis Colts Linebacker, Killed On I-70
• DUI Crash Suspect That Killed Colts Player Was In U.S. Illegally
• Donald Trump Calls Death Of Colts Edwin Jackson 'So disgraceful'

AP News reports Orrego-Savala had a 2005 conviction for driving under the influence in Redwood City, California. If that isn't enough, he's also has several other misdemeanor convictions and arrests in California and Indiana, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokeswoman Nicole Alberico.

According to the news outlet, Orrego-Savala pleaded no contest in the 2005 case to two separate drunken-driving offenses and was given a brief jail sentence, San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said Tuesday.

Orrego-Savala remains in Jail in Indianapolis.

Photo credit: Indiana State Police