A state judge has reduced the bail for Raul Benitez Santana, an illegal immigrant accused of killing Washington State Trooper Christopher M. Gadd in a crash earlier this year, from $1 million to $100,000.
Santana, 32, is being held at the Snohomish County Jail on charges of vehicular assault and vehicular homicide involving alcohol or drugs related to the March death of 27-year-old Trooper Gadd, Fox reports.
Initially held on $1 million bail, Santana’s bail was reduced to $100,000 by Snohomish County Superior Court Judge Richard Okrent on May 15, following arguments from Santana’s defense attorneys for his release, according to the Everett Herald.
Judge Richard Okrent needs to be removed from the bench.
He lowered the bail of Raul Benitez Santana to just $100k from the original $1 million.
Raul is an illegal alien who killed Trooper Chris Gadd. pic.twitter.com/ip6LkxNFqb
— Chad Prather (@WatchChad) May 22, 2024
Gadd’s widow, Cammryn Gadd, opposed the bail reduction in a letter to the judge, stating, “Reducing bail would not only undermine the severity of the crime but also inflict further anguish and distress upon me, our child, and the rest of our family.”
Trooper Gadd was killed just before 3 a.m. on southbound I-5 near Marysville when an SUV veered off the roadway and struck his parked patrol vehicle at high speed.
FOX13 in Seattle reported court documents indicating Santana had bloodshot eyes and admitted to police that he had been drinking alcohol and smoking marijuana before driving.
An ICE official confirmed that Santana, a Mexican citizen, was unlawfully in the U.S. and entered the country at an unknown date and time. ICE placed an immigration detainer on Santana following his arrest.
Santana’s defense is concerned that if he posts bail, federal authorities might arrest and deport him, as reported by the Herald.
