A 21-year-old Honduran national who had a revoked license is accused of leaving a man dead in the street following a hit-and-run in North Carolina.
The suspect, Mauricio Josue Alberto Sarmiento, was charged with felony hit-and-run resulting in death, no liability insurance, driving while license revoked, exceeding safe speed and failure to reduce speed.
Sarmiento allegedly struck 51-year-old James Robert Bagley III with his car in the early morning hours of Aug. 2 in Sylva, N.C., a small town in western North Carolina about 47 miles west of Asheville, North Carolina.
This illegal alien KILLED an American father in a hit-and-run in North Carolina.
ICE has lodged a detainer for the Honduran murderer, Mauricio Josue Alberto Sarmiento, who was RELEASED into our nation by the Biden Administration. We will stop at nothing to ensure he is NEVER… https://t.co/r1Lde7Al9t pic.twitter.com/Jr0vyWPZOv
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) August 18, 2026
Local police arrested him five days later, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement lodged a detainer with the Jackson County Jail to hold him.
He also had a history of charges for no operator’s license in 2024 and 2025, plus aiding alcohol possession by a minor in November 2025.
“This illegal alien KILLED an American father in a hit-and-run in North Carolina,” the U.S. Department of Homeland Security shared on X. “We will stop at nothing to ensure he is NEVER allowed back in our communities.”
According to The Sylva Herald, the suspect turned himself in to police on Aug. 6 and was lodged in the Jackson County Detention Center in lieu of a $500,000 bond.
Sarmiento illegally entered the United States through Texas as an unaccompanied minor in October 2021, DHS said.
He was arrested by the U.S. Border Patrol, but the Biden administration released and reunified him with an unrelated sponsor.
“If it weren’t for the Biden Administration’s disastrous open borders, James Bagley would still be alive,” DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said. “By securing our border and deporting illegal aliens, we can save lives and prevent tragedies like this one from ever happening again.”
Bagley was struck by a vehicle shortly before 3 a.m. on U.S. Highway 23, and the driver fled the scene in their vehicle, police said.
Officers and first responders found the victim lying in the road, and he was pronounced dead at the scene, WSPA 7 News reported.
Based on the charges, crash investigators believe Sarmiento was speeding and did not attempt to slow down.
Police initially asked the public for tips as well as surveillance video from nearby businesses.
On Aug. 7, the Sylva Police Department announced on Facebook that officers had identified Sarmiento as the driver and had him in custody. He also had an outstanding arrest order out of Jackson County.
“Our thoughts remain with the family and loved ones of James Bagley as they continue to cope with this tremendous loss,” Chief Aimee Sumner shared in the Facebook post. “While an arrest has been made, this case is not over, and we remain committed to conducting a thorough investigation and ensuring that the facts are presented through the judicial process.”
SPD Assistant Chief Robbie Carter said that a friend of Sarmiento’s encouraged him to turn himself in, according to The Sylva Herald.
Officers went to a trailer park where he lived in Cullowhee, N.C., and also recovered the 2013 Nissan Sentra that allegedly struck Bagley at the time of his arrest.
Sarmiento had made no attempt to hide the car or the visible damage to the front right fender, hood and the windshield.
“We gave him an opportunity to come to the police department and talk to us and he did, of his own free will,” Carter said. “He sat down with me and told me the story of everything that happened, at least his version of it.”
Sarmiento told investigators he was alone in the car and had not been drinking, but “because of the timeframe we do not have any way to verify if that is the case or not,” Carter said.
According to court records and other reports, Sarmiento had prior run-ins with the law and a history of driving without a license. He had prior citations for no operator’s license in July 2025; no operator’s license, insurance, or registration in April 2025; and no operator’s license dating back to September 2024.
Sarmiento was charged on Nov. 7, 2025, with failure to appear – aid/abet alcohol purchase/possession by someone under 21, FTA – consume alcohol by 19/20, FTA – purchase malt beverage by 19/20, and possession of an open container/consume alcohol in the passenger area of a vehicle.
He lived in Walhalla, S.C., at the time, The Sylva Herald reported, and failed to show up for his Dec. 15, 2025, court date.
