Plea deal may save Basalt man’s life, attorney says

by Chad Abraham,
Aspen Daily News Staff Writer
Tuesday, October 4, 2011

A Basalt man who faces a threat against his life in his home country of Guatemala pleaded guilty Monday to disorderly conduct in Pitkin County District Court in a deal that may allow him to get amnesty.

Esbilmer Geovanny Perez-Ruano, 28, was originally charged with felony criminal impersonation and traffic violations after a Colorado State Patrol trooper pulled him over June 20. The trooper wrote Perez-Ruano was driving by himself in an HOV lane. Perez-Ruano, who is in the country illegally, allegedly gave the trooper a fake name when he was pulled over on Highway 82.

Perez-Ruano, who has been in jail since his arrest, also has a hold from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, meaning a deportation hearing is likely in his near future.

As part of the plea deal, he pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct, a petty offense, which keeps him eligible to petition for amnesty given his violent environment in Guatemala.

“It’s an immigration-safe plea,â€