A Plymouth Man is facing possible deportation after he was charged with drunk driving and then fleeing police before ramming the car into a boulder.
Jose Carlos Bautista, 27, is charged with Third-Degree DWI, which carries a maximum penalty of a $3,000 fine and one year in jail. He is also charged with felony fleeing a peace officer in a motor vehicle, which has a maximum penalty is a $5,000 fine and three years in prison.
It was alleged in the criminal complaint that Bautista ran a red light just after 9:30 p.m. on September 13 near Lagoon and was spotted by a patrol officer.
The officer pursued Bautistia and Bautista slowed down as if he was going to stop, but he then accelerated the car and the result was a crash into a Girard Avenue South Boulder. Bautistia then fled the car on foot, but police were able to catch him a short while later.
The police found several beer cans inside the car and Bautistia smelled of alcohol. The complaint further states that he had difficulty standing up and keeping his balance. As a result of his balance issues, he had to be propped up while performing field sobriety tests so he would not fall over.
Bautista refused to take a urine or blood test.
An evaluation of Bautista’s criminal record shows that he has had three DWI convictions with two of them as recent as 2009 and one in 2007. He is currently jailed in the Hennepin County Jail on a $25,000 bond. He is also on an immigration hold, which means he could be deported once a conclusion is reached in his case. This is due to the extent of his drunk driving record.
The case is currently pending an omnibus hearing on October 16 in Hennepin County.