A pretrial hearing for a construction worker who may be culpable in the death of a Hillsborough minor was held on Wednesday at the Orange County Courthouse.

Judge Joe Buckner presided over the hearing and read Alejandro Suarez his rights before setting a trial date for him. An interpreter was utilized to translate Bucker’s statements into Spanish for Suarez, who participated in the hearing from the Orange County Jail.

Suarez was arrested on December 26 after a truck at a construction site in the Forest Ridge subdivision rolled downhill into a house. That incident resulted in the death of Everett Copeland, a five-year-old boy.

A magistrate’s order issued for Suarez on the day of his arrest states that he may have “left [the truck] unattended without first stopping the engine and effectively setting the parking brake.” His offense was listed on his release order as “misdemeanor death by vehicle.”

Immigration and Customs Enforcement put a detainer on Suarez under suspicion that he may be in the country illegally. He was unable to present proof of identification to arresting officers, which led to a secured bond of $10,000 being set for him.

Suarez is due back in court on January 9. His last court appearance was nine years ago in Harnett County for “DWI Level 4.”