Danny Arellano was brought to the United States when he was 4 years old. He was accompanied by his older brother and mother. Every time Danny and I ever talked about Mexico and his home country he never had much to say. Being that he was brought here at such a young age he never really had any memories or stories to tell about Mexico. Danny has always told me that he considers the United States to be his home because that is where he was raised. That is all he has known his whole life.

I have known Daniel Arellano and his family my whole life. Our families have been intertwined for many years--through our siblings going to school together, playing sports together, working together and growing up around the same time. Over the many years we have spent together, we all became very close. I consider the Arellano family as my family. Some of the best moments of my life were spent with them. So many moments that I will always cherish forever.

Daniel is a big part of our small island community. The work he has done for our community has been incredibly positive. Once Danny graduated from CHSS, he really embraced his love for sports, and since then, he has played a significant role in Cape Hatteras School’s athletic department. Danny began coaching multiple school teams. Not only did he coach, but he volunteered as a referee for our local youth recreation leagues--kids 7-9 and 10-12. Danny and I also ran a local men’s soccer league that raised money for the school’s athletic department. He truly believes in supporting the local kids by growing our school’s athletic department. Our community, especially the parents of the students he coaches, embrace every minute of it. Danny really has become a loved and well-respected man in our small island community. He is known as a stand up, hardworking, compassionate, and an all around good guy.

Danny is also my best friend, and I love him like my brother. The amount of laughs, good memories and fun times we’ve had in our short time on this planet would equate to what some people experience in their whole lifetime. I always felt I could count on him for anything. He gives the best advice. He’s sincere, caring, and understanding. He would give the shirt off his back for anyone who needed it. He has been there for me in some of the lowest points of my life, and I am here for him now.

Danny might have made a mistake. A mistake that is still having a hard time being proven to be true. Danny is being charged with 3 felony counts of larceny by employee. All the charges have yet to be proven to be true against Danny. The amount of money that Danny has been accused of taking is around 900 dollars. So many rumors and lies have been spread around about this whole case. People have accused Danny of stealing over half a million dollars. That is simply not true. These lies have torn his family apart. Their reputation has been cracked and people have began to look at them differently which is just not fair. The fact of the matter is Danny's name and his family are being dragged in the mud over something that has still yet to be proven. When did “innocent until proven guilty” go out the window?

The justice system is working against Danny in a very unfair and unjust way. Danny received a call from the Dare County's Sheriffs Office to turn himself in over a month ago. They told him on the phone that if he did not come to Manteo himself, they would come to Hatteras Island and make a huge scene out of his arrest. At this time Danny only had the 3 charges against him. Very small larceny charges (which again, have still yet to be proven.) He figured he would come home the same day and not have to go through any strenuous judicial process due to the fact that his charges equated to less than 700 dollars. Sadly that was not the case. Being an immigrant, even though he is a DACA recipient, has a child born in the United States and has a fiancee, does not work in his favor. He is smacked with a 90 thousand dollar bond and set to stay behind bars until his court date. We did everything we could to get Danny home to his newborn child (3 months old) and his fiancee. His parents leveraged their house and I was ready to sign the papers to get his bail paid. They rejected everything and forced us to put up a property with a minimum value of 90k. None of us has something worth that. If we did we would put it up for collateral in a heartbeat. Danny was informed by the family they wouldn't be able to pay his bond and he had to wait until his next bond hearing/court date.

Some time goes by and he has his bond hearing. He goes in front of a judge. The judge was baffled as to why Danny had a 90k bond on him for less than a thousand dollars in larceny charges. The judge dropped his bond to 5 thousand dollars. Danny's parents go and pay his bond. The day Danny is set to be released he is picked up by ICE and taken to Raleigh where he is threatened to be sent to Georgia to await is trial. They supposedly find a fourth charge on Danny. This brings his total amount stolen to 900 dollars. He is brought back to Manteo where they put a 50 thousand dollar bond on him. He has another bond hearing. The judge laughs in the face of the state investigator handling this case. The bond is then dropped to 15k. The parents go and pay the bond minimum to finally bring their son home.

The mother goes to pick up her son from Manteo after the bond has been paid. She gets to the jailhouse to find out Danny had been personally taken to Raleigh by Dare County. ICE did not come and get Danny as ICE has 48 hours once the bond is paid to pick him up. Danny arrives to Raleigh to be processed. They were not even expecting him. He was not even supposed to go to Raleigh. The next day after arriving in Raleigh he is sent to a prison in Georgia.

After all of this circus, the family has paid over double in bond fees to what Danny has been charged with allegedly stealing. Think about that for a minute. The family has paid 2 thousand dollars in bond fees, yet he is being charged for allegedly stealing 900 dollars. How is that fair? This is where the GoFundMe comes in.

We are trying to raise money to help pay for the remainder of Danny's lawyer fees, bond and court fees. This whole conundrum has been a big financial burden on the family. They just want their boy back. Whether he has done what he is being charged of or not, does he deserve to sit in a prison for almost 3 months over 900 dollars? Especially after 2,000 dollars has been thrown away in bond fees just for their boy to be moved around to different jails? I personally think it is egregious.

What I have always found to be Danny’s best trait is his honesty. Danny might have made a mistake. But as long as I’ve known him, Danny has always owned up to and worked to correct any missteps. Danny has never been in trouble with the law before, because he has always respected it. Whether he did the things he is accused of or not, it is not for me to decide, but what I do know for a fact is that behind these charges is an amazing father, a man devoted to his soon-to-be wife, and a man surrounded by family, friends, and a big community for whom he loves and cares. He is someone who inspires us, and a person who we look up to very much. We all know who Danny is, and we all know he’s a great person.

I hope you will take into account the work he has done for our community and the true man he is. I love Danny and his family, and would trust them with my life. And I know I am not alone. So please, if you can help in anyway, whether it's donating to the Arellano family, or sharing the GoFundMe, it would be really appreciated. We just want our Danny to be home. Home with his newborn child, his soon to be wife and his community of friends and family whom he has called home for nearly his whole life.