Utah Couple Accused of Helping Man Flee Immigration Agents Face Federal Charges

Federal prosecutors say a young Utah couple were “partners in crime” when they helped a man escape from federal immigration agents in October and cut his handcuffs, then posted about it on social media.

Both pleaded not guilty Friday in Utah’s U.S. District Court to a class A misdemeanor count encompassing theft and disposal of government property as well as aiding and abetting. Court filings paint a dramatic scene of the getaway, with no allegation it was planned ahead of time.

“This case involves a male-female couple who brazenly helped a handcuffed, suspected illegal immigrant man evade arrest by federal agents (ICE) at a local Home Depot parking lot by (1) spiriting him away in their Volkswagen Golf while a border patrol officer chased after him; (2) purchasing bolt cutters and cutting off his handcuffs; and (3) posting about it online as they cursed ICE and trumpeted their ‘heroism,’” prosecutors wrote in court filings.

The couple, Kelzie Ryann Luna, 21, and George Sanchez-Juarez, 22, declined comment after Friday’s hearing.

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The couple was in their car at a gas station in Salt Lake City on Oct. 8 when the man ran into traffic and came up to them, saying “help me please” in Spanish, according to a play-by-play laid out in court documents with transcripts of voice messages and social media posts.

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