Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Mariano Gomez-Mendez, 36, was arrested yesterday after allegedly running a red light and hitting another car while impaired and then leaving the scene of the accident. After he reportedly said he’d entered the country five years ago on a three-month work visa and stayed illegally, ICE placed a detainer on him for removal after the charges are resolved.

According to a Florida Highway Patrol trooper, at about 12:23 p.m. on August 31, Gomez-Mendez ran a red light at SW 122nd Street while traveling westbound on SW 8th Avenue and hit another car. The other car pulled over, but Gomez-Mendez allegedly drove away and was followed by a witness; Gomez-Mendez pulled over about a mile away from the accident. The driver of the other car involved in the accident reportedly identified Gomez-Mendez’s vehicle as the one that hit him, and the trooper reported that Gomez-Mendez’s vehicle had damage to the front end.

The trooper also reported seeing at least 10 or 15 12-oz Modelo beer cans on the front passenger floorboard and on the floor in the back seat. Two of the cans were open, partially full, and cool to the touch; a few of the cans were unopened; and “a majority” of the remaining cans were empty. Gomez-Mendez was identified by his Mexican passport.

A Spanish-speaking Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputy provided translation for Gomez-Mendez, who did not speak English. Gomez-Mendez reportedly said he wasn’t in a crash, then said he didn’t remember what happened, then said he was very tired and might have fallen asleep. He later said he knew he had crashed, but he drove away because he was scared. He said he did not have a driver’s license and had never been issued one; the trooper provided Gomez-Mendez’s information to dispatch and found that they were unable to locate a driver’s license in any U.S. state.

The trooper spoke with the witness who had followed Gomez-Mendez after the crash; he said he had honked his horn “excessively” while following Gomez-Mendez until Gomez-Mendez pulled over. He said he approached the vehicle, saw Gomez-Mendez in the driver’s seat, and did not see any other occupants in the vehicle. The witness stayed with the vehicle until deputies arrived to capture body-worn camera footage of Gomez-Mendez in the driver’s seat. The witness said Gomez-Mendez appeared to be intoxicated and smelled of beer.

The deputy noted signs of impairment and the odor of an alcoholic beverage on Gomez-Mendez’s breath and told Gomez-Mendez he would now be conducting a criminal investigation.

Post Miranda, Gomez-Mendez reportedly confirmed he was the driver of the vehicle at the time of the crash and had fled because he was scared due to his license and immigration status. He reportedly said he was not impaired and had only had one Modelo beer about 24 hours before the crash.

Gomez-Mendez reportedly performed poorly on field sobriety exercises, and the trooper placed him under arrest and took him to the jail for a breath test. The breath samples resulted in measurements of 0.147g/210L and 0.142g/210L, well above the threshold of 0.08g/210L.

Gomez-Mendez was transported to an emergency room for medical clearance and then booked into the Alachua County Jail.

The trooper reported that he is 287g-certified and called ICE because Gomez-Mendez said he initially came five years ago on a three-month work visa and then stayed illegally; an ICE officer told the trooper that ICE would be placing a detainer on Gomez-Mendez for removal at the conclusion of his state charges, and the trooper confirmed that the detainer was issued and provided to the jail.

Gomez-Mendez has been charged with driving without a license (no license issued), DUI, DUI with property damage, and leaving the scene of a crash with property damage. He was also cited for running a red light and having an open container in his vehicle. He has no local criminal history, and Judge Kristine Van Vorst set bail at $22,500, although the ICE detainer will prevent his release.

Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.