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January 17, 2006
From The Morning Call
Mahanoy City Trucker Accused Of Dui Hit-And-Run

HAZLE TOWNSHIP

Luzerne County

A Schuylkill County man who police say is an illegal immigrant from Mexico fled after driving drunk and crashing his pickup truck into another truck Saturday on Interstate 81 in Luzerne County, police said.

The man led police on a chase for several miles even though his front tire had blown out in the crash and he was driving on the rim, police said.

Guadalupe Zamudio, 18, of Mahanoy City was speeding in the northbound lanes in Hazle Township at 6:45 a.m. when he tried to change lanes and hit a truck driven by Phillip D. Denton, 39, of Fuquay-Varina, N.C., state police at Hazleton said.

Denton, his passenger Craig Morgan, 32, of Raleigh, N.C., and Zamudio were not hurt, police said.

After the crash, Zamudio made a U-turn at the next exit and started driving south on I-81 before a state trooper saw him seven miles south of the crash, police said.

Zamudio's truck was weaving, crossing the center line and fog line and impeding traffic, and his right front tire had blown out and he was driving on the rim, police said.

Police said they tried to get Zamudio to pull over, but he wouldn't until, after several minutes of chase, his pickup truck became disabled and stopped in the road, police said.

Zamudio showed signs of being intoxicated and was charged with driving under the influence, fleeing or attempting to elude police, fleeing an accident, failure to render aid, driving without a license, speeding, driving at an unsafe speed, careless driving, reckless driving, driving on the wrong side of the road, traffic offenses, and underage consumption, possession and transporting of liquor.

While Zamudio was being arraigned before District Judge Joseph Halessy of Hanover Township, Luzerne County, authorities said they had determined he is in the country illegally.

He was sent to Luzerne County Prison under $5,000 bail on the charges, and also on a detainer placed by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.