BELFAST — Waldo County Sheriff Jason Trundy provided an in-depth explanation April 1 regarding the circumstances surrounding a March 13 traffic stop that ultimately led to two individuals being taken into custody by Border Patrol agents. The event has since sparked significant debate, with community members voicing a wide range of opinions. 

The traffic stop occurred on Route 220 in Montville, when a Waldo County deputy working a speed detail observed a vehicle traveling 65 mph in a 50 mph zone.

The deputy stopped the vehicle, and approached the driver, later identified as Luis Murillo, 30, who presented a temporary Florida driver’s license.

Initially, dispatch was unable to locate a record of the license in the system using Murillo's name, although a second check using his license number did return relevant information, Trundy said.

When dispatch reportedly viewed the license on the system, there was a message on the license stating that Murillo is not a U.S. citizen. In addition, Murillo had an outstanding unpaid traffic fine in Maine, which had resulted in a Maine operator’s number being assigned to him and his driving privileges in the state being suspended after the fine went unpaid.

Upon learning of these issues, the dispatcher, who reportedly thought the alert to be an indication of a possible immigration-related issue, asked the deputy whether they should contact Border Patrol, which the deputy confirmed they should. 

As the deputy continued with the traffic stop, he asked if there was someone licensed and able to drive the vehicle away from the scene, Trundy said.

He said at this point the passenger offered to take over, leading the deputy to ask for her driver’s license to ensure she was legally able to drive the car. However, when she presented a Venezuelan driver’s license, the deputy was unable to verify its validity through available databases. 

Shortly after, a male relative of Murillo arrived on the scene to drive the car away. Around the same time, Border Patrol agents, who had been contacted earlier, arrived and began questioning the individuals at the scene. The Border Patrol agents determined that both the passenger and the male relative would be taken into custody based on suspected immigration issues. 

Trundy said that it wasn’t until March 18, when he received an email from a concerned citizen, that he learned of the incident and began looking into it. His first step was to review the call-for-service report, and upon examining the records, Trundy learned that the deputy involved had received information from dispatch regarding Murillo’s non-citizen status, but had not actively inquired about immigration status himself.

Responding to growing public scrutiny and concerns over how the stop was handled,  Trundy issued a press release March 20, addressing questions that had begun circulating in the community. 

He refuted claims that his deputies had taken it upon themselves to question individuals about their immigration status, stating that local agencies, including his own, are unable to enforce federal laws and do not have access to the information used by federal agencies to identify or verify a person’s immigration status. 

The release did little to quell the growing unease and upset expressed by many concerned citizens, and left Trundy wanting to investigate the incident further. 

“I started having my own questions, like, 'wait some of this stuff doesn’t make sense to me,'” he said.

Further investigation into the non-citizen alert on Murillo’s driver’s license revealed that the alert was not related to any active immigration enforcement directive but was instead connected to Florida’s voter registration system. 

This suggested that the involvement of Border Patrol in this situation had been due to a misinterpretation made by the dispatcher, and an assumption by the deputy that the dispatcher was accurately reporting an immigration issue. Trundy’s investigation confirmed that local and state law enforcement officers do not have direct access to federal immigration databases.

In response to the incident and the confusion it generated, Sheriff Trundy implemented a new department-wide directive designed to prevent similar misinterpretations in the future.

Trundy decided that going forward deputies will no longer be the deciding factor for whether federal law enforcement agencies, including Border Patrol, are called. Instead, decisions regarding whether or not to contact a federal agency will first be reviewed and approved by a supervising sergeant. Trundy said he will also review the information.

“My deputies are here to enforce traffic laws and handle local matters,” Trundy stated, “and that’s what I want them to focus on.” 

Trundy met with Border Patrol officials March 31 to discuss how law enforcement officers at different levels interact with the federal alert system. The meeting provided insight into how alerts are generated and interpreted.

During the meeting with a Border Patrol supervisor, Trundy learned that the male relative who came to the scene of the traffic stop to collect the vehicle was taken into custody due to his immigration status. The passenger in the vehicle, who Trundy declined to name, was also detained, but was released later the same night due to a special protected status. 

When asked where the passenger was released to, Trundy said that he was told there is a store near the location of the Calais Border Patrol offices where agents dropped the the passenger off, and where buses are reportedly available.

Trundy was told that those released are given the option to call someone to pick them up, but often those contacted do not want to drive to Border Patrol offices. 

Trundy confirmed that once an individual is taken into Border Patrol custody, the Sheriff’s Office does not receive updates on their status, adding another layer of complexity to these interactions. 

The detentions have been the topic of much conversation and controversy in the community, with some believing the detainments were unjust, and others expressing enthusiastic approval. 

Sheriff Trundy acknowledged that he has received considerable feedback from the public, with strong opinions on both sides. 

While the March 13 traffic stop and subsequent detainments by Border Patrol brought confusion, concern, and conflict to many, the stop also underscored the complexities involved in the intersection between local policing and federal immigration enforcement. 

Although the debate over immigration enforcement and local law enforcement’s role in it continues, Trundy has made it clear that his department’s priority remains the safety and well-being of Waldo County residents.

“At the end of the day I was elected by 40,000 people in Waldo County, and that’s who we answer to, and that’s why I want them to understand what we’re doing."

Erica Thoms can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com