Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Mariano Gomez-Mendez, 36, was taken into custody yesterday after allegedly driving through a red light while intoxicated and colliding with another vehicle. The incident escalated as Gomez-Mendez reportedly left the scene. He stated that he had entered the U.S. on a three-month work visa five years ago but overstayed, leading ICE to issue a detainer for his deportation after legal proceedings are complete.

A Florida Highway Patrol trooper reported that around 12:23 p.m. on August 31, Gomez-Mendez ran a red light at the intersection of SW 122nd Street and SW 8th Avenue, crashing into another vehicle. The impacted vehicle stopped, but Gomez-Mendez allegedly drove off, pursued by a witness. He eventually pulled over approximately a mile from the crash site. The other driver involved recognized and identified Gomez-Mendez’s car, and the trooper observed damage to its front end.

The trooper discovered no fewer than 10 or 15 Modelo beer cans scattered on the passenger-side floor and back seat of Gomez-Mendez’s vehicle. Among these, two were open, partially full, and felt cool; some were sealed, and “most” were found empty. Identification was made through his Mexican passport.

A Spanish-speaking Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputy assisted as an interpreter for Gomez-Mendez, who didn’t speak English. Gomez-Mendez initially denied any crash involvement, then claimed memory loss, later confessing to fatigue-induced sleep and fear following the crash. He admitted he had never held a driver’s license, nor had any record of one in the U.S. was found by dispatch.

The trooper interviewed a witness who had followed Gomez-Mendez post-crash. The witness reported using his horn excessively to get Gomez-Mendez to stop, eventually seeing him alone in the driver’s seat. The witness then stayed until law enforcement arrived, capturing body camera footage of Gomez-Mendez present in the driver’s seat. He noted that Gomez-Mendez appeared drunk and smelled strongly of beer.

The responding deputy observed signs of inebriation and detected a strong scent of alcohol on Gomez-Mendez’s breath, informing him that a criminal investigation would proceed.

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.