Thread: Drunk driver a no-show in court

Drunk driver a no-show in court
Mike Miller — 5/14/2008 6:05 pm

More arrest warrants were issued today for a man charged with third time drunk driving and a host of related charges when he was stopped on the Beltline going just 20 miles per hour on a Friday afternoon, and was released from jail after giving police a phony name.

Jorge Dominguez-Flores, 23, of Madison, failed to show up Wednesday for his scheduled court appearance on the third time drunk driving charge, and separate charges of obstructing an officer, operating after revocation, failure to have vehicle registered, having open intoxicants in his car, unsafe lane deviation, and impeding traffic by his slow speed.

The arrest warrants issued Wednesday are not the first for Dominguez-Flores, who also is wanted in Rock County on a warrant for operating after revocation and in Dane County for failure to show up for his jail term on the second conviction for drunk driving.

His latest problems stem from his snail's pace on the Beltline during rush hour on April 11. Sheriff's Deputy Brent Baverstock, on Motorist Service Patrol, saw three different vehicles eastbound hit their brakes hard and almost crash, then discovered the problems was with a white Ford Ranger going about 20 miles per hour at 3:32 p.m.

Baverstock followed the Ranger and turned on his emergency lights as the truck swerved into the middle lane, forcing the driver of a car in that lane to change lanes in order to avoid another crash. The man who turned out to be Dominguez-Flores pulled over in the middle of the exit lane going to Highway 14, and refused repeated requests from the deputy to pull to the side of the road.

As Baverstock walked up to the truck, the driver's side door opened and the driver's head hung out and strained to look toward the deputy. As he got closer to the driver, "I immediately detected an overwhelming odor of intoxicating beverages on his breath," Baverstock wrote in his report of the incident.

Dominguez-Flores got out of the truck but nearly fell to the ground and Baverstock had to grab him to keep him on his feet. "I walked him over to the right shoulder continuing to be overwhelmed by the odor of intoxicants emanating from the driver," Baverstock wrote.

Dominguez-Flores swayed from side to side as the deputy tried to administer the horizontal gaze nystagmus test. As Baverstock would move his finger, Dominguez-Flores would tend to fall toward that side. The deputy gave up on any further field tests.

At the Public Safety Building Dominguez-Flores insisted his name was Elias Rivera-Jimenez and that his date of birth was Aug. 18, 1980. When Baverstock asked him old he was, he at first said 25. Told that was impossible, he revised it to 26, which was still wrong, given the birth year.

Finally, still insisting he was really Rivera-Jimenez, he said he was too drunk to remember his name.

He also insisted he was "a good guy, I'm drunk, I'm sorry," he said,

As is customary in drunk driving cases the man who turned out to be Dominguez-Flores was put on watch for 20 minutes so he could do nothing nor take anything that would throw off the test. Before the intoximeter operater could arrive, he produced a long belch, requiring the watch to start anew.

In the end, he wasn't able to blow hard enough into the regular intoximeter to get a valid test, but a preliminary breath test showed a blood alcohol level of .24.

Baverstock, suspicious of the true identity of the driver, booked him in under the name of Rivera-Jimenez, but also had him fingerprinted and his photo taken.

It wasn't until the following day, after he had been released to a sober adult, that the FBI said the fingerprints were from Dominguez-Flores. When he was a no show in court today, he once again became a wanted man.


http://www.madison.com/tct/news/police/286416#start2




http://www.madison.com/tct/news/police/286416#start2

It wasn't until the following day, after he had been released to a sober adult, that the FBI said the fingerprints were from Dominguez-Flores. When he was a no show in court today, he once again became a wanted man.

It amazes me how these people can give any name to law enforcement and just walk out of jail. I guess this guy had no identification. I wonder what his immigration status was or is.

Is it that easy to give a false name to police officers and just walk out of custody? Hard to believe.

He should not have been released prior to his identification being ascertained. Just another one of the many reasons I support Real ID.

Originally Posted by MW

He should not have been released prior to his identification being ascertained. Just another one of the many reasons I support Real ID.

10-4! The more I research and read the actual provisions of REAL ID, the more i'm starting to like it! I'm sick and tired of these people and the employers who continue to play this game.

Under REAL ID, this guy would have been detained until his immigration status could have been ascertained. I believe this type of situation would be covered under the 287(g) provision of REAL ID.

Please correct me if i'm wrong MW...

If the man was in the country illegally, the Real ID would not have been effective.