Jackowiak Law Office Files Suit On Behalf of Wrongly Detained Veteran

The Jackowiak Law Office filed suit Tuesday against McHenry County on behalf of Edward Lagunas-Bustos, a U.S. Army veteran who was illegally detained by McHenry County sheriffs.

Bustos was pulled over for an alleged headlight violation on November 9, 2008. Bustos was given two traffic tickets. He should have been allowed to post $100 bond and go home in less than an hour.

However, a sheriff's deputy asked Bustos if he was "born in this country." Bustos truthfully answered that he wasn't. Sheriffs told Bustos they were placing him on an immigration hold at the McHenry County Jail.

Bustos explained that he was born in Mexico and came to the United States legally. He enlisted in the U.S. Army and was stationed in Kuwait. Since April 2004, Bustos had been a naturalized U.S. citizen. He showed deputies his military identification card. Bustos' brother came to the jail and showed the deputies his brother's proof of citizenship. Sheriffs ignored this information. Bustos was illegally jailed over night. The next morning, he was finally released.

The suit is being covered in the Northwest Herald and the Daily Herald.