An illegal immigrant faces deportation after he was arrested Sunday, Feb. 23, by deputies from the Logan County Sheriff’s office for possession of an open container of alcohol in a vehicle and repeated violations of driving without a valid license.
Apolinario Lorenzo-Perez, 43, of Springfield, was charged with driving without an operator’s license, an obstructed license plate and open container of alcohol. He was stopped at 10:10 p.m. Sunday in the area of County Road 1 near State Route 245, just outside West Liberty.
A deputy on patrol observed that his vehicle had an obstructed license plate and a loud exhaust. The plate reportedly had a decorative frame that covered the state label and partially blocked county and registration stickers.
Lorenzo-Perez admitted during the stop that he did not have a valid driver’s license and provided deputies with a court document from Champaign Municipal Court. That document showed a conviction for no operator’s license in May 2023. He also reported to law enforcement a previous arrest for the same violation in Upper Sandusky.
Lorenzo-Perez was placed under arrest for no operator’s license, a first-degree misdemeanor. While conducting an inventory search of the vehicle, deputies discovered a partially full bottle of alcohol with a broken seal on the backseat floorboard. He admitted the bottle belonged to him.
A records check confirmed that Lorenzo-Perez is in the country illegally. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement placed a detainer on him for potential deportation.
He was lodged in the Logan County Jail. Jail staff was notified of the ICE detainer. The vehicle was towed from the scene.