ICE deports Las Vegas driver before fatal crash sentencing: ‘They couldn’t wait 10 minutes’

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) -- An undocumented immigrant struck and killed a grandfather who was crossing the street, but before a judge could sentence him and order restitution, ICE deported him to a country he hasn't lived in since he was two. Douglas Esteban-Chacon’s deportation marks the second case the 8 News Now Investigators have uncovered since January, where the federal government removed a defendant before state criminal proceedings were complete. The crash: 'It's not an accident' On Feb. 20, 2025, Esteban-Chacon, then 25, collided with Ricardo Ureno, 77, in a faded crosswalk on Nellis Boulevard near Lake Mead Boulevard. After his arrest, prosecutors charged Esteban-Chacon with reckless driving resulting in death. Evidence Metro police gathered showed he was racing with an unknown vehicle before the crash. Documents the 8 News Now Investigators obtained show police accused him of “[engaging] in a possible street race.” Police could not initially identify Ureno due to the severity of his injuries, leading his family to issue a missing person’s report in the hours after his death. “It's not an accident,” Pauline Ureno, Ricardo Ureno’s wife of 53 years, said. “He killed my husband. It's not an accident. They put it down as an accident. It wasn't. He was racing.” The coroner’s office and the funeral home advised Pauline Ureno not to view her husband after his death. She never had the chance to kiss him goodbye. 'It's just like he walked away' In April 2025, two months after the crash, Esteban-Chacon, who was in custody on $100,000 bail, pleaded guilty. The plea deal Esteban-Chacon entered with prosecutors stipulated three years’ probation and about $2,000 in restitution. As part of the plea agreement, a judge released Esteban-Chacon on his own recognizance, meaning he did not need to post bond. On July 21, 2025, Pauline Ureno and her family filed into Clark County District Court Judge Jennifer Schwartz’s courtroom for sentencing. “I was there to let him know and defend my husband,” Pauline Ureno said. "This is who you killed. This is who you killed, not what was under your car.” Courtroom video the 8 News Now Investigators obtained shows the family inside the courtroom with a poster with photos. Esteban-Chacon wasn’t there. “No sentencing is happening today,” Schwartz said, adding the driver was in federal custody. It would later become clear that ICE deported Esteban-Chacon to Guatemala before the sentencing. “They let this man go free,” Pauline Ureno said. “It's just like he walked away. I'm not really happy at all.” Las Vegas attorney Ofelia Markarian represented Esteban-Chacon in the criminal case. Her client had a different attorney for immigration matters. “He's being sent back to a country that he has no idea anything about,” Markarian said. “Do you expect that he'll ever actually be sentenced?” 8 News Now Investigator David Charns asked Markarian. “I can't say yes or no,” Markarian said. “It's not in his hands.” Esteban-Chacon entered the United States as a two-year-old, Markarian said. His arrest report does not include a Social Security Number, indicating he had no legal citizenship status. A judge who first saw Esteban-Chacon noted during his probable cause hearing that he was not a U.S. citizen. Because he came to the United States as a child, Esteban-Chacon has no ties to the Central American country. “That leaves no accountability for the defendant, and that leaves the victim's families extremely hopeless,” Markarian said. Hopeless is one way to put it. Heartbroken and angry is another.“I mean, you go in the court; it takes 10 minutes," Pauline Ureno said. "They couldn't wait 10 minutes for this man to be sentenced.” The prior case Esteban-Chacon’s case is the second the 8 News Now Investigators have covered involving ICE deporting a person before their criminal proceedings are settled in Clark County. A review of ICE and federal court records shows a good portion of ICE arrests in Nevada are happening as inmates leave prison after completing their sentences. In Esteban-Chacon’s case, the transfer likely occurred in the aftermath of his release from the Clark County Detention Center amid his plea deal. On June 19, 2025, Las Vegas Metro police arrested Angel Franco Merida, 37, on a charge of reckless driving resulting in death after he collided with Amber Brown, 33. Brown was crossing Rancho Drive at Decatur Boulevard when Franco Merida ran a red light and killed her, police said. Prosecutors quickly charged Franco Merida, and he appeared before a Las Vegas Justice Court judge for a probable cause hearing the next day. A judge set bail at $50,000, and Franco Merida posted bond the next day, records said. But shortly after leaving the Clark County Detention Center, ICE detained Franco Merida, and he soon, too, was in Guatemala. Just 26 days after Franco Merida’s arrest, on July 15, a U.S. immigration judge granted him a voluntary departure, according to records obtained by the 8 News Now Investigators. At the next court hearing for Brown’s death on July 22, when Franco Merida failed to appear, a justice court judge ordered a warrant for his arrest. Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson said ICE never notified his office of their actions or deportation. The charge of reckless driving resulting in death carries a potential prison sentence of one to six years. On Sept. 2, with Franco Merida out of the country, a judge exonerated his bond, effectively acknowledging the case’s closure. Schwartz issued a warrant for Esteban-Chacon’s arrest should police ever encounter him again. ICE's lack of response The 8 News Now Investigators received no official response from ICE or the immigration court about their actions involving Franco Merida’s deportation or how often similar arrests occur. Metro police have a longstanding policy of notifying ICE of any foreign-born person in their custody, regardless of immigration status, a spokesperson said. The U.S. and Guatemala have an extradition treaty dating back to the early 1900s for the transfer of fugitives, but it is unclear whether the treaty applies to cases where one country allows a person to leave freely. In January, the Trump administration paused all visa issuances for applications from dozens of countries, including Guatemala. ICE did not respond to a request for comment on Esteban-Chacon’s deportation. The partial government shutdown, which began on Feb. 14, may have affected the department's ability to respond. 8 News Now Investigator David Charns can be reached at [email protected].