An 18-year-old illegal immigrant was arrested in connection to the death of Kurt Englehart, a Senior Advisor to Nevada Democrat Senator Catherine Cortez Masto. Elmer Rueda-Linares is in custody at the Washoe County Jail being held on a $100,000 bond.
According to police, on April 6 at around 4:30 a.m. Rueda-Linares was involved in a two-vehicle crash at the intersection of Kietzke and Peckham Lanes in Reno that killed Engelhardt.
The Department of Homeland Security told the Reno-Gazette Journal that an immigration detainer from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, also known as an “ICE hold” was placed on Rueda-Linares on April 8.
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told RGJ,
Rueda entered the United States March 12, 2021, at or near the Rio Grande City, Texas, Port of Entry without inspection by an immigration official. United States Customs and Border Protection arrested him, and he was later released on his own recognizance June 22, 2021.
Two days before then-15-year-old Honduran native Rueda-Linares illegally entered the United States and was subsequently arrested and released into the country, Sen.Cortez Masto appeared in an interview on MSNBC arguing that it is “misinformation” to purport that the Biden Administration has permitted open borders.
Sen. Cortez Masto said,
There are no open borders. There are so many children! These children are fleeing for their lives.
🚨BREAKING🚨
On April 6th, Kurt Englehart, an advisor to Sen. Cortez Masto (D), was tragically killed in a hit-and-run accident caused by illegal immigrant, Elmer Rueda-Linares.*TWO DAYS* before Rueda-Linares illegally entered the U.S. on March 12, 2021, Cortez Masto claimed… pic.twitter.com/LzknjbRJRB
— Courtney Holland 🇺🇸 (@hollandcourtney) April 17, 2024
Inevitably, one of the “children fleeing” would take the life of Englehart, who leaves behind a young son to grow up without a father.
In an online fundraiser organized for Englehart’s family, his friend Kerry Durmick wrote,
Kurt was an amazing father, friend, partner, and advocate for Nevada. We will miss him so much. Kurt’s biggest joy in life was his son and his family…
The Washoe Sheriff’s office indicated that Rueda-Linares was initially charged with a felony hit-and-run but the charge has been changed to failing to stop at the scene of an accident, a class B felony.
According to Nevada Revised Statutes (NRS) 484E.010, drivers involved in a crash resulting in bodily injury or death are obligated to immediately stop at the scene of the incident or as close as possible. Failure to comply with these provisions constitutes a category B felony, punishable by imprisonment in a state prison for a minimum of 2 years and a maximum of 20 years, along with a fine ranging from $2,000 to $5,000.
In a statement to RGJ on Tuesday, a spokesperson for Sen. Cortez Masto, Lauren Wodarski, said,
Sen. Cortez Masto looks forward to justice being served and has confidence in the local police and prosecutors.
On Wednesday, as Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas faced articles of impeachment based on allegations of open borders and lenient immigration policies, Senator Cortez Masto defended Mayorkas on social media and said that she voted “to end this waste of time.”
Sen. Cortez Masto wrote,
There is no evidence that Secretary Mayorkas committed high crimes and misdemeanors, so I voted to end this waste of time. Republicans could have made real policy changes, but they decided to play games and killed the bipartisan border package in favor of this frivolous impeachment.
There is no evidence that @SecMayorkas committed high crimes and misdemeanors, so I voted to end this waste of time.
Republicans could have made real policy changes, but they decided to play games and killed the bipartisan border package in favor of this frivolous impeachment.
— Senator Cortez Masto (@SenCortezMasto) April 17, 2024
Rueda-Linares is scheduled to appear in court on Thursday.
Read More:
‘A Stain on This Institution’: Eric Schmitt Scorches Chuck Schumer’s Sham Impeachment ‘Trial’ of Mayorkas
The Mayorkas Impeachment Trial That Wasn’t: How Senate Democrats Torched Precedent
