Unattended Dump Truck Driver Gets 65 Days In Child Death

HILLSBOROUGH, N.C. (AP) — A dump truck driver whose unattended truck ran over and killed a North Carolina boy while he went to use the bathroom has been sentenced to 65 days in jail.

Media outlets reported that 28-uear-old Alejandro Suarez pleaded no contest Monday to a misdemeanor death by vehicle charge.

Prosecutors say Suarez left the fully loaded dump truck in neutral, but put on the brakes on Dec. 26 in a Hillsborough subdivision.

Authorities say the truck was too heavy for the brakes and rolled down a hill, hitting 5-year-old Everett Copeland as he played outside with three other children.

Suarez has been in jail since the death. His sentence will end Feb. 28. Federal immigration authorities will then likely take custody of him because officials say he's in the country illegally.

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