By Jeff Devine
New information has come to light after Thursday morning’s fatal automotive accident in Level Plains. A motorcyclist was killed in a crash involving a car
Dale County Coroner John Cawley identified the victim as 56-year-old Christopher D. Cote of Level Plains,
According to officials, the crash involved a passenger vehicle that caught fire following the collision. Fortunately, no one inside the car was injured. The incident took place on Highway 84 near the County Road 445 area.
Early reports from law enforcement indicated that the car’s driver had been detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) due to ICE’s suspicious belief that the motorist was in the country as an undocumented immigrant. Reports stated that ICE agents arrested the suspected motorist and was planning to transfer him to a detention facility. However, the Level Plains Police Department later clarified that while ICE agents were present and were conducting interrogations and inquiries regarding individuals they thought may be in the country illegally, the driver was not taken into custody.
The Dale County Chronicle has reached out to the Level Plains Police Department and the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency for clarification but we have yet to receive a response. Once we do, we will provide an update to this report. We also reached out for more details about the ICE agents and the confusion about reports regarding retaining the driver.
]The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) is leading the investigation, and it remains unclear whether the driver will face any charges in connection with the fatal crash.
Image included is a stock image and we received permission to use it.
