Kevin Jenkins

St. George Spectrum & Daily News

A St. George man accused of deliberately crashing a stolen pickup truck into another truck while he was driving under the influence of drugs pleaded guilty to related charges Tuesday and is awaiting deportation.

Humberto Villatoro-Trinidad, 23, appeared in handcuffs in 5th District Court and acknowledged the terms of his plea agreement with the aid of a Spanish-language interpreter at his side.

The defendant pleaded guilty to felony counts of aggravated assault and failure to respond to an officer, plus a misdemeanor count of having a measurable amount of a controlled substance in his body.

Ten additional counts of theft, aggravated assault, criminal mischief, drug possession, reckless driving, causing a car crash and driving without ever having obtained a license were dismissed under the agreement.

Judge Eric Ludlow stayed the maximum sentence imposed on the defendant and granted him 36 months of probation that will include 365 days in the Purgatory Correctional Facility, but Ludlow granted him credit for the month he has been in jail custody and said he will be released to Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers for deportation.

As a term of his probation, Villatoro-Trinidad must not re-enter the United States illegally or break other laws.

Ludlow ordered Villatoro-Trinidad to pay restitution to the crash victims “if it’s claimed.” No specific damage reparation claim was reported by the court, although officers investigating the incident reported five people were in the truck that was struck and that the vehicle suffered “more than $1,500 in damage.”

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In the plea agreement, Villatoro-Trinidad acknowledged that on June 18 he crashed into the vehicle “and admitted to officers that he intended to cause them harm” after using methamphetamine and taking a roommate’s vehicle, adding that he “committed the offenses in order to be deported.”

The defendant was arrested in “a high-risk stop” by St. George Police investigators after he fled from the crash site at the intersection of 700 South and River Road, traveling at more than 60 mph along 700 South, up 200 East and onto the Red Hills Parkway.

Villator-Trinidad told the court he had been working at a local Mexican fast-food restaurant prior to the incident.

Follow reporter Kevin Jenkins on Twitter, @SpectrumJenkins. Contact him at 435-674-6253.