Cops: Driver admits he’s illegal alien (Taunton Daily Gazette)

Cops: Driver admits he’s illegal alien

By Charles Winokoor, Staff Writer
GateHouse News Service
Posted May 12, 2008 @ 10:49 PM

Taunton — An out-of-town driver is going nowhere fast — after admitting his immigration status to police following a hit-and-run accident Sunday night.

Claudinei Silva, 28, 109 Center St., Plymouth, is being held without bail after cops say he told them he’s been an illegal alien in the United States for the past three and a half years.

Police say his status requires that he be held in custody until the Boston office of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) can investigate the case and determine whether or not he should be deported.

Silva was also charged by police with leaving the scene of an accident with property damage resulting, operating a motor vehicle so as to endanger and operating a vehicle without a valid driver’s license.

Police said his confession came after Officer Eric Moura pulled him over on Weir Street near the Taunton Green. Moura stated in his report that at 7:40 p.m., while parked downtown near the Green, a man identified as Louis Henault, of Taunton, approached his cruiser to tell him that someone had just hit his friend’s car and taken off.

Henault said he was a passenger in a car being driven by Jeffrey Hughes of Raynham when it was struck by Silva’s 2000 Chrysler Cirrus.

He told police he jumped out to elicit officers’ help while his friend continued tailing Silva as he drove through downtown.

Moura said he quickly spotted Silva turn onto Weir Street and pulled him over without incident. Moura also reported that when Silva rolled down his window he could detect a strong smell of alcohol from within the car.

Silva, according to Moura, in broken English said that he had drunk five or six beers that day before getting behind the wheel. When asked to show a driver’s license, Moura said Silva showed him one from Brazil.

Moura then was joined by Sgt. Carlos Silva (no relation) who is fluent in Portuguese. According to the sergeant, Silva said the reason he didn’t stop after hitting another car was the fact that he had been living illegally in the country for three and half years.

Silva also had “little difficulty” in passing a field sobriety test — both at the scene and at the police station — but was initially charged with operating under the influence because of his admitting to drinking as many as six beers, police said.

Police said they dropped the OUI charge after Silva submitted to a breath test at the station and registered a blood alcohol count of .03; the legal limit in the state is 0.08.

Paula Grenier, spokesperson for Boston’s ICE office, was unable to comment immediately on the case.