Truck driver acquitted in NH motorcycle deaths could be deported
CONCORD, N.H. - The truck driver recently acquitted of causing the deaths of 7 motorcyclists in New Hampshire could be deported.
Volodymyr Zhukovskyy, a Ukrainian citizen, was taken into custody by immigration officials Wednesday.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Enforcement and Removal Operations Boston issued the immigration detainer in 2019, saying that Zhukovskyy had an "extensive" criminal history, including drug charges.
On Tuesday, Zhukovskyy, of West Springfield, was acquitted of causing the deaths of seven motorcyclists in a horrific head-on collision in northern New Hampshire that exposed fatal flaws in the processing of license revocations across states.
Jurors deliberated for less than three hours after a two-week trial during which prosecutors argued that Zhukovskyy - who had taken heroin, fentanyl and cocaine earlier on the day of the crash - repeatedly swerved back and forth before the collision and told police he caused it. But a judge dismissed eight charges related to whether he was impaired, and his attorneys blamed the lead biker, Albert "Woody" Mazza Jr., saying he was drunk and not looking where he was going when he lost control of his motorcycle and slid in front of Zhukovskyy's truck.
Zhukovskyy will appear before an immigration judge. However, he will not be deported immediately because as a Ukrainian citizen, he has protected status.