Immigration hold placed on accused drunk driver in New Year's Eve crash



Justin Schecker







Video by kgun9.com at link

CREATED 6:38 PMTUCSON (KGUN9-TV) - 34-year-old Alfonso Gutierrez-Mateo sits in the Pima County Jail facing five charges, including aggravated DUI and two counts of aggravated assault, for a nasty New Year's Eve head-on collision.

9 On Your Side has learned Gutierrez has a history of breaking the rules of the road and endangering others.

U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement officials tell 9 On Your Side they placed an immigration detainer on Gutierrez Wednesday after he was booked into jail.

"A check of Department of Homeland Security (DHS) databases indicates Mr. Mateo-Gutierrez, a Mexican national, has had multiple immigration enforcement encounters with DHS agencies between 2001 and 2013, including several voluntary returns and formal removals to Mexico," ICE spokesperson Amber Cargile said in an email.

Around 9 p.m. On Tuesday night near Speedway and Painted Hills Road, a sheriff's deputy spotted Gutierrez driving the wrong way with his headlights off.

After he was pulled over, Gutierrez drove off and led the deputy on a mile and a half chase. It ended with his red truck crossing onto the wrong side of the road and ramming into a car head on.

"This person was apparently intoxicated and he was driving a 2-thousand pound weapon," Deputy Tracy Suitt told 9 On Your Side.

Two women in the second car went to the hospital. The crash critically injured the passenger.

Nine on Your Side obtained a court document that says Gutierrez-Mateo had no license and his driving privilege is suspended.

The deputy who stopped him observed watery bloodshot eyes, smelled alcohol and said Gutierrez-Mateo admitted to drinking "too much."

Plasma drawn at the hospital had an alcohol content of .28, but deputies are waiting on final results from a blood test.

Nine on Your Side has learned Gutierrez has been cited multiple times for driving with a suspended license.

A DUI conviction in 2007 landed him behind bars at the Wilmot prison for 10 months.

"When you get repeat offenders, it gets harsher and harsher and they're prosecuted very vigorously," Attorney Mike Piccarreta said.

Gutierrez got out early from the 2007 sentence because he was eligible for deportation, according to Arizona Department of Corrections records.

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