Driver Found Guilty In Fatal Downtown Smithfield Pedestrian Crash
SMITHFIELD, N.C. – A Wayne County man has been found guilty and sentenced to 24 days in jail for a September crash that killed a 76-year-old Smithfield woman as she crossed a downtown street in a marked crosswalk.
Selvin Adelso Vasquez-Perez, age 20, was found guilty Oct. 14 of death by motor vehicle following a bench trial in Johnston County District Court.
Vasquez-Perez received an active sentence of 24 days with credit for time already served. He also remained subject to a federal ICE detainer.
The conviction stems from the Sept. 19 death of Virginia Tucker Lyon.
The crash occurred at the intersection of Second and Market streets near the Johnston County Courthouse.
Investigators said Lyon was crossing Market Street in a marked crosswalk when Vasquez-Perez, driving a white pickup, turned left from Second Street onto Market Street and struck her.
Lyon suffered multiple injuries and later died while receiving treatment at WakeMed.
Smithfield Police determined alcohol, controlled substances and excessive speed did not contribute to the collision.
Assistant District Attorney Keith Gordon prosecuted the case.
District Attorney Jason Waller said, “Virginia Tucker Lyon lost her life while crossing the street in a marked crosswalk in downtown Smithfield. No outcome can undo that loss, but this conviction holds the defendant accountable for the consequences of his actions. Keeping our roadways safe is a priority for this office, and every driver has a responsibility to operate a vehicle with care for the people around them.”
Waller thanked the Court for its time and careful consideration, as well as the Smithfield Police Department for its investigation and Johnston County EMS for its efforts to save Lyon’s life.
Gordon added, “Ms. Lyon was a beloved member of this community. We extend our condolences to everyone who knew and loved her, and we appreciate the work of the officers and emergency personnel who responded to this tragedy.”
Following the criminal case, Vasquez-Perez was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement under a federal immigration detainer. He now faces possible removal from the United States through federal immigration proceedings.
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24 days???
I was wondering the same thing.
Johnston county is a joke
Ok…. So YES , 24 days is really out there … but , if he does get deported, he’s not sucking on the tax payers dollars…. So yeah , I definitely have mixed feelings on this one , if they get him GONE and stay gone , the money being saved , no telling what kind of benefits he was more than likely getting as well …. So … idk
If he’s here illegally he gets no benefits lol 🤦🏻♀️ Undocumented people CANNOT receive benefits.
From ssa.gov website.
Through data received from the Department of Homeland Security’s Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) service, SSA has updated approximately 25 million records that previously had missing citizenship information.SSA is currently in the process of correcting an additional 8.5 million records with inaccurate citizenship status.
That’s just not true. They go to the emergency room all the time and no one can be turned away. Taxpayers end up paying for it and health insurance goes up to cover it too. If an illegal has an anchor baby then the child gets welfare. They cost billions in child births every year. There’s many ways they are a burden. Oh, and they kill. Just like this one did and the one that didn’t yield and killed my friend. ICE better get this guy.
Exactly
False.
SMH…. 🤦♀️ you MUST be watching the LEFT side of your news…. FRAUD absolutely IS still happening…. Lean a bit to the right and check out ALLLLL the SNAP fraud that’s being found…. Stealing ppl info and collecting…. And is it ALL illegals , naw, I give you that … but the MAJORITY of it IS …..No…. All if it has NOT been found yet…. But they are definitely working hard on it
This isn’t about race or where somebody was born. It’s about accountability.
A woman lost her life, and 24 days because of time served just doesn’t sit right with me. Deportation shouldn’t replace accountability for a crime committed here. Those are two separate issues.
At the end of the day, a woman is gone, and her life mattered. Her family deserves justice, and our community deserves to know that the justice system takes something this serious to heart.
This isn’t about hate. It’s about accountability, public safety, and justice for a woman who can no longer speak for herself.
AMEN! You are 100% CORRECT! … He should pay for his crime. The family deserves better!….. Shame on whomever set his punishment. I pray their family is never in this position and have to live with 24 days suspended with time served.
24 days for a life that is lost !! This system is a joke ! No wonder why people continue to break the law NO consequences! But if it was one of their family members I’m sure the outcome would be different
I knew tucker and her family she was the daughter of our own deceased judge pope Lyon who was one of Smithfield’s finest…my opinion is that this was an accident …this young person did not mean for this to happen
I agree it was an accident, I hate to see some of these comments and how people think of us Hispanics the majority of us are not bad people. Though I do think 24 days is ridiculous and he should have gotten more time
I don’t think the majority are bad. I think this guy made a huge error in judgement. What I don’t like is the amount of any foreigners. My town looks like Central America. They are the majority in the schools. It’s way too much. The kids grow up and vote. Many get taxpayer money. Illegals should be deported. They should not let in anymore legally either.
Lol no don’t back track now! “Many ways they are a burden”. “Oh and they kill”. Just say you’re racist at this point because if it was a white person this conversation wouldn’t even be happening. Saying they shouldn’t be let in even legally is disgusting! Nobody here is native to this land everybody is here because previous ancestors migrated here. Yall are so entitled.
I’m native. It’s not racist to not wanting to be overwhelmed with Central Americans. This is not a homogeneous society anymore. Shared culture and love for country. Most are economic migrants. Wanting to make more money and send a lot back. Remittances should be stopped. There’s no room for a hyphenated American. Every race is tribal. There’s probably over 50 million people here illegally. No matter what color they should be deported. Does Mexico let illegals live and work there? Can they protest?
What im hearing is that u only want to be surrounded by white folks .. I’m white myself and don’t understand how other white people are so full of hate and entitlement we are not above anyone or anything
You sound just like a lib. That’s not what I said at all about wanting to live just around white people. Read it again. This is a white AND black country. The number of Central Americans has absolutely exploded. Years and years of both legal and illegal immigration has changed the country. Democrats see them as voting blocs. Dems got control over California because of decades of both types of immigration.
He DIDN’T even have a driver’s license(ILLEGAL)…was in a SQUATTED truck that he couldnt see out of (ILLEGAL) and apparently must not have his citizenship (ILLEGAL)if ICE is involved accident or not someone lost their LIFE. He will do his petty a** time and move on with his life RIDICULOUS. So in this case we can now drive illegally, have illegal vehicles, and run someone over….and get some bs sentence what a joke this is sickening.
Illegal 4 times over, not following the law is Deplorable
This is exactly why people don’t fear the consequences of their actions….no matter the crime. They know that the courts aren’t going to be hard on them and so the crime continues. All this guy got was essentially put in “Time Out”
while a family lost a loved one.
It’s SOOOOOO WRONG.
After looking up the law for this in North Carolina, it appears that this would be classified as a misdemeanor, with a maximum term of 150 days. Just doesn’t seem like justice for something so careless when it takes another person’s life!!
U get more time for having marijuana or raping someone what the actual h*ll is going on in this county. UNREAL!!!!
NCDOT by turning Market St into a raceway is complicit and contributory in the death of Ms. Lyon.
So, that is what a life is worth now. 24 days. An elder of our community, respected and loved is gone. Her killer gets 24 days in an institution with 3 meals, hot showers and unlimited medical care. Wow. That is just so very sad that we as johnstonians are even willing to accept this.
24 days is a big insult to the woman who died and her family. Really !!!!!!!!!
24 Days? Let’s see – I’m 80 years old so I guess my life is worth about 18 days.
Depends, might be less if you are MAGA.
^^ Real haters self identify ^^
What’s that got to do anything. That man lives rent free in y’alls heads it’s sad and must be miserable to care that much about another man.
Again…this was a tragic accident….sounds to me like some folks are letting their hate take over
No hate just a BS sentence it’s ridiculous
There is absolutely hate and racism in these comments. I don’t expect any less. A lot of people in Johnston county are racist and it’s disgusting! They are missing the point it’s sad someone lost their life but being hateful and racist because it was a person of color is definitely letting hate take over.
Yawn……., racism, fascism, transphobe, Islamophobia, genocide, misogyny, prove,edge……there I used all of your liberal words for you……sheesh
I didn’t see any hate or racism. You see what you want to see. We can’t even discuss this topic without being called racist and disgusting. See the problem?
If joco is so bad maybe move that’s always an option. This lady lost her life to and illegal. She prolly worked her whole life putting into the system and the system failed her. Allowing this illegal into the country, driving illegally, driving an illegal truck none of this Racist. This is truth and sometimes the truth hurts. Call me racist if you like i’ve been called worse.
Seems like a licenses to kill, to get only 25 days in jail. That’s like getting 5 years for stealing millions of dollars.
Savage
He better be deported.
The left hates Kings, I will always be in favor of a Deportation King