North Carolina DUI Crash Suspect in College Couple’s Deaths Had 2020 DWI Charge Dismissed 'With Leave', Now Held on $5M Bond and ICE Detainer
Juan Alvarado Aguilar, an undocumented immigrant accused of causing a Jan. 16 DUI crash that killed a college soccer player and his girlfriend, is being held on more than $5 million bond and an ICE detainer. Court records show he had a 2020 Cabarrus County DWI charge dismissed "with leave" — permitting possible reinstatement — prosecutors cited prior failures to appear, and troopers reported a strong odor of alcohol at the scene, say Aguilar admitted driving and stumbled into an officer, prompting a hospital blood draw.
📌 Key Facts
- Court records show Juan Alvarado Aguilar was charged with driving while impaired in Cabarrus County on Nov. 5, 2020; the case was dismissed "with leave," meaning it was taken off the docket without being fully terminated and can be reinstated by prosecutors under limited circumstances.
- Prosecutors told the court Aguilar has two prior failures to appear in addition to the unresolved 2020 DWI charge.
- Troopers testified that at the Jan. 16 crash scene the smell of alcohol was so strong it overwhelmed other odors, that Aguilar admitted driving, stumbled into a trooper while being escorted, and that a blood draw was taken at a hospital.
- At the Jan. 21 hearing prosecutors asked to raise Aguilar’s bond from $250,000 to $2 million; the judge instead set bond at more than $5 million, citing concern about his likelihood of appearing in court.
- The dismissed-with-leave status of the 2020 DWI has drawn criticism because it legally permits prosecutors to reinstate the earlier charge under limited circumstances, adding scrutiny to how that prior case was handled before the fatal crash.
📰 Source Timeline (2)
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January 21, 2026
9:42 PM
Illegal immigrant accused in deaths of college soccer player, girlfriend had prior DWI dismissed: records
New information:
- Court records show Juan Alvarado Aguilar was charged with driving while impaired in Cabarrus County on Nov. 5, 2020; the case was dismissed 'with leave', meaning it was taken off the docket without being fully terminated.
- Prosecutors told the court Aguilar has two prior failures to appear in court in addition to the unresolved 2020 DWI charge.
- At the Jan. 21 hearing, prosecutors asked to raise Aguilar’s bond from $250,000 to $2 million, but the judge went further and set bond at more than $5 million, citing concern about his appearance in court.
- Troopers testified that the smell of alcohol at the Jan. 16 crash scene was so strong it overwhelmed other odors, that Aguilar admitted driving and stumbled into a trooper while being escorted, leading to a blood draw at a hospital.
- The article clarifies that the 2020 'dismissed with leave' status legally allows prosecutors to reinstate that earlier DWI charge under limited circumstances, adding fire to criticism of how the case was handled before the fatal crash.
January 20, 2026