Manuel De Jesus Guzman Pimienta, 24, of Bellefontaine is facing number of traffic charges after his vehicle reportedly rear-ended a pickup truck in the 1500 block of south Main Street Sunday evening, Nov. 16.
Officers of the Bellefontaine Police Department were called about 7:40 p.m. to the right southbound lane of south Main Street near Malone Avenue where they found a 2014 Chevrolet Cruze that was disabled, smoking and had heavy front-end damage.
The Bellefontaine Fire Department was called to scene, where firefighters dealt with the smoke that was coming from the car while EMTs were treating Pimienta, prior to transporting him to Mary Rutan Hospital for further evaluation.
Witnesses report that Pimienta was driving the Chevy Cruze southbound on Main St. when his vehicle struck the back of a Ford F-150 operated by Johnathan M. Florea of Madisonville, KY., causing the disabling damage to the Pimienta vehicle.
Officers attempted to question Pimienta while being treated at the scene by EMS personnel, but were hampered by a language barrier. Police did notice a strong odor of alcohol on the defendant, and also found an open on container of alcohol in his vehicle as it was being inventoried.
Officers accompanied the Bellefontaine EMS to Mary Rutan Hospital, where they questioned Pimienta, with the help of a translator. He showed signs of intoxication and a breathalyzer test revealed he had a BAC of 0.274. A urine test was also obtained from Pimienta at the hospital and sent to the Ohio State Highway Patrol lab for analysis.
The defendant was then arrested on the charges of operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol/drugs, operating a motor vehicle without a valid license, failure to maintain assured clear distance and open container, and was lodged the Logan County Jail.
Pimienta’s car was towed from the scene and the damage report to the Florea vehicle was not available.
Summons issued for theft
Police also report the issuing a summons for theft to Kay L. East, 40, of Bellefontaine, on Thursday, Nov. 13.
Her employer at the Oasis Drive-Thru, 406 S. Main St., alleged that East had been stealing money from the cash register of the business over the past two weeks.
The employer provided video proof of some of the alleged recent thefts to officers. After reviewing the videos, officers located East at her home and issued her the summons.
