A Grand Island man has been sentenced in connection with a series of incidents that caused damage to a federal immigration facility and government vehicles.
Twenty-year-old Eulisis Martin was sentenced Thursday after pleading guilty to attempting to maliciously damage federal property using explosive materials and to destruction of government property. As part of a plea agreement, federal prosecutors dropped additional charges, including possession of an unregistered destructive device and threatening or interfering with federal officials.
According to court records, Grand Island Police were first called to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement office on South Webb Road around 6:45 p.m. on June 9 after an individual vandalized the building, writing “kill ICE” on a window. The following day, officers responded again when a Molotov cocktail, reportedly made from a Mason jar and a torn American flag, was thrown at the building’s sally port door.
An FBI agent later reviewed surveillance footage that showed a white Buick Lucerne circling the ICE facility, with the driver exiting the vehicle and walking near the building. Several days later, in the early morning hours of June 14, officers spotted a man running near the fence south of the ICE office. Investigators found multiple government vehicles with slashed tires and handprints on their hoods.
Authorities determined the Buick seen in surveillance footage belonged to Martin. When officers located the vehicle at his residence, they reported finding gloves, a protest sign, and two bags resembling tactical-style gear inside. Stickers with political slogans were also found on the vehicle.
Martin’s sentencing brings the federal case to a close following weeks of investigation involving local police and federal authorities.
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