Criminal Alien Charged with DUI-related Homicide, Assault

Prosecutors in Wyoming charged a criminal alien from Peru with homicide and assault in connection with an alleged drunk-driving crash that left one man dead and a woman injured.

After receiving a call about a car driving the wrong way on a road with its lights turned off, police dispatched officers to find the vehicle. Before they could arrive, Rudy Isla-Mejico, 41, allegedly crashed into a Porsche driven by Robert “Bob” Arndt, 53. His pickup truck struck the Porsche head-on leaving Arndt fatally injured. He died at the scene, the Jackson Hole News & Guide reported.

The crash occurred about 10:20 p.m. Friday night after a 911 caller reported seeing a Dodge pickup truck driving the wrong way without headlights. Following the crash, emergency responders had to use the Jaws of Life to extricate Arndt and his wife from the Porsche. Officials pronounced Arndt dead at the scene and emergency medical responders treated his wife for non-life threatening injuries. They transported her to a local hospital.

Isla-Mejico failed a field sobriety test at the scene and blew a .10 in a field breathalyzer, “despite a very weak breath sample,” officials reported. Officers transported the suspect to the hospital for a blood test. The results of that test have not been released.

The Peruvian national has a long criminal history from the state of Idaho that includes two convictions for driving under the influence (DUI). He has a third DUI charge pending in Idaho with a court appearance scheduled for next week, the local newspaper reported. He allegedly drove the Dodge truck with no license or insurance.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers placed an immigration detainer on the man after Wyoming police placed him in jail. He is charged with aggravated vehicular homicide and DUI causing serious bodily injury. The court referred to the DUI charge as aggravated assault and battery, the newspaper reported. He also faces several traffic violations in connection with the crash, including an open container violation.

This crash and the death of Mr. Arndt could have been prevented if ICE officials under prior administrations had been allowed to remove Isla-Mejico following his prior criminal offenses. The Peruvian man received his first DUI conviction in 2000. Ten years later he received his second DUI conviction, both in Idaho. His third offense allegedly occurred in December 2016, shortly before the new presidential administration took office and laid out an aggressive policy of removing criminal aliens.

Prosecutors laid out the man’s lengthy criminal history, stating, “He has enough no insurance, no driver’s licenses, at least one fleeing the scene of an accident, driving without privileges over the last several years to paper the side of the courthouse.”

The Jackson Hole News & Guide reported:

In addition to two convictions for driving under the influence — one in 2000 and another in 2010 — a pending DUI is open with a court date set for July 11. The third DUI occurred on Dec. 23, 2016, in Rexburg, Idaho, according to Teton County sheriff’s Detective Chad Sachse.

Isla-Mejico has 27 closed cases against him in Blaine County, Idaho, where Sun Valley and Ketchum are located. Two are the DUI convictions, while the rest are a slew of driving without privileges, driving without a license, driving with an altered license, excessive speeding, driving without insurance and other traffic violations, dating back to 1997. There is one unlawful entry charge and a fishing violation. In all but five cases Isla-Mejico was found guilty.

There were other traffic-related convictions and charges in three other Idaho counties. Up until Friday he had a clean record in Wyoming.

Following a request from Teton County Prosecuting Attorney Stephen Weichman, Judge James Radda set bail at $500,000. He warned Isla-Mejico that even if he raised the money for bond, ICE officials will take him into custody for an immigration hearing. “If you or someone on your behalf posts this bail, you would not walk out of jail a free man,” Radda said.

Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior political news contributor for Breitbart Texas. He is a founding member of the Breitbart Texas team. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX and Facebook.