Truck carrying 18 illegal immigrants found on I-70

SUMMIT COUNTY - Local police officers found a truckload of illegal immigrants inside a vehicle in a ditch off of Interstate 70 Sunday, and arrested the driver on suspicion of child abuse, according to a report from the Summit County Sheriff's Office.

Just after noon, Deputy Erik Bourgerie discovered six people in the cab of a Dodge pickup and 12 men in the bed of the pickup, which was covered by a camper shell with black painted windows, the report said.

"The males only had two blankets to share between them and they were obviously very cold and were shivering," Bourgerie's report said.

Two plastic bags filled with urine were also found in the bed of the truck.

The driver of the truck, Jaime Argote-Munoz, had lost control of the truck and slid backward into the ditch near the eastbound lanes of I-70 at exit 208.

None of the passengers had U.S. identifications or work permit cards, leading Bourgerie to believe they were illegal immigrants, and the driver was profiting from smuggling them.

The Immigrations and Customs Enforcement was notified to pick up the group at the Sheriff's Office.

Argote-Munoz was arrested on suspicion of child abuse without injury or death because two of the truck's occupants were juveniles. The juveniles were in a situation that posed a threat of injury to their lives or health because of Argote-Munoz's careless driving and because they were riding in the truck bed without any safety restraints, the report said.

He also faces charges of careless driving and driving without a valid driver's license or proof of insurance.

Argote-Munoz later told Bourgerie that he was being paid $700 to take the group to Omaha, Neb., and that he had completed three previous trips earning between $100 and $200 each.