Martinez arrested upon hospital release
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LANDIS, N.C. -- An illegal immigrant involved in an accident earlier this month that left a pregnant Rowan County woman and her unborn child dead was arrested after being released from the hospital Wednesday.
Police charged 33-year-old Carlos Alfonso Guillen Martinez, identified earlier as Rigo Verto Guillen Martinez, with one count of second-degree murder and one count of driving while impaired. Another second-degree murder charge could follow once Landis police complete their investigation.
Carlos Alfonso Guillen Martinez was taken from the hospital to jail on Wednesday night.
On Feb. 6, authorities say Martinez was speeding and driving erratically on Main Street in Landis when he collided head-on with a vehicle driven by 20-year-old Leanna Newman. Another child in the car survived the crash with minor injuries.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents learned Wednesday that Martinez was in the U.S. illegally from El Salvador and had been deported in 1997 and 1998, said agency spokesman Richard Rocha.
Martinez' bond is set at $1 million. If convicted of second-degree murder, Martinez would be deported immediately after he finishes serving prison time, Rocha said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report