Sheriff’s office deputy placed on leave amidst investigation into U of U student’s detainment by ICE

MESA COUNTY, Colorado (ABC4) — The Mesa County Sheriff’s Office has announced that an investigator has been placed on administrative leave. The sheriff’s office is currently investigating how Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) used information from a multi-agency communication group without the sheriff’s office’s knowledge to detain a University of Utah Student.

Caroline Dias Goncalves was stopped by a deputy with the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office on June 5, 2025, while traveling to Denver, Colorado. The stop lasted less than 20 minutes, and she was released with a warning. The investigator who performed the traffic stop was Alexander Zwinck.

According to a press release shared by the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office yesterday, Zwinck has been placed on administrative leave “pending the outcome of the administrative investigation.” They also stated that “any repercussions will be determined” by that outcome.

“We ask the public and our media partners to please allow us time as we conduct this investigation to ensure we hold ourselves accountable for our role in this incident and correct our practices and policies to comply with Colorado law,” the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office said in the press release.

During the traffic stop on June 5, Zwinck asked Dias Goncalves to sit in the passenger seat of his vehicle while he located her in the system. Her family referred to this as a “weird situation” in an earlier interview with ABC4.

Zwinck asked Dias Goncalves where she was from and referred to her having “a little bit of an accent.” She responded that she was from Utah and had lived there for 12 years. He asked where she was born, and Dias Goncalves said she was born in Brazil.

In a June 16 press release from the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office, they explained that federal agents had used the multi-agency communication intended to reduce drug trafficking to detain Dias Goncalves, and that it violated Colorado Law.

“This use of information is contradictory to Colorado law and was initially intended for the purpose of reducing illegal drug trafficking in Colorado. Unfortunately, it resulted in the later contact between ICE and Miss Dias Goncalves,” their statement reads.

Dias Goncalves has since been released on bond, according to her family. A friend of Dias Goncalves has organized a GoFundMe campaign for her legal fees.

A phone line has been created by the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office to “allow community members to voice their concerns or comments” regarding what happened. They note that the line is not monitored, but all messages will be responded to. You can reach this line at 970-244-3533.

Abigail Jones contributed to this report.