Judge Wants Guatemalan Man Deported From Rock Springs After Fourth DUI

A Guatemalan man who smashed into a parked trailer in Rock Springs while drunk in March, leading to his fourth DUI arrest in the United States, was ordered to report for deportation this week.

The Rock Springs Police Department arrested Tulio Garcia Salazar, aka Juan Carlos Garcia Salazar, on March 19, after he crashed his black Honda Civic into a parked flatbed trailer the night prior, according to a heavily redacted police report the department released Friday to Cowboy State Daily.

No one was in the trailer or the vehicle attached to it, says the report.

Officers found Garcia Salazar near a building in town later and used a translation app to communicate with him, says the report.

“Juan also admitted to drinking 8 beers at the Derby Club … prior to driving home,” says the report.

Garcia Salazar spoke in slurs, reeked of alcohol and displayed poor balance, it adds. His Honda had heavy front-end damage.

He refused to perform field sobriety tests, and instead swore he was done driving.

“I’m not going to drive anymore. I’m not going to have a car anymore. I’m  not going to have anything anymore,” Garcia Salazar said, according to the report. “Do you understand why I can’t drive anymore? OK, thank you.”

As a driver’s license, Garcia Salazar presented an ID card from Guatemala under the name Armando Mendez Rodrigues, “who is clearly not Juan, leading me to believe that the license he provided was no (sic) valid and possibly fake,” the report says.

That’s when police arrested Garcia Salazar.

He was later sentenced to 90 days in jail, a year of probation and ordered to pay $450 in fines.

Deported Before

Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) deportation Officer Brett Layman reviewed Garcia Salazar’s history March 19, to find that the man had been deported from Atlanta, Georgia, to Guatemala on May 23, 2018, says a federal affidavit filed in Garcia Salazar’s federal case.

Garcia Salazar was convicted of DUI in Georgia on March 14, 2005, and sentenced to 10 days in jail and a year of probation, says the affidavit.

He was arrested for other DUIs in 2007 and 2018 as well, but those charges were dropped when Georgia officials couldn’t find Garcia Salazar to prosecute him and their statutory time limits expired, wrote Layman.

The agent also listed Garcia Salazar’s conviction for the Rock Springs DUI.

“Due to the subject’s four separate arrests for DUI, even though resulting in only two convictions, subject is a public safety threat for continued violation of DUI laws,” wrote Layman.

Report For Deportation

Reentering the United States illegally after being deported before is punishable by up to two years in prison and up to $250,000 in fines.

Garcia Salazar pleaded guilty to the charge.

A Wednesday statement by the U.S. Attorney’s Office says Garcia Salazar is 42, whereas his state court file puts him at 44 years old. His true age is uncertain.

U.S. District Court Judge Kelly Rankin sentenced Garcia Salazar late last month to “time served,” the statement says, meaning Salazar could leave jail after having spent enough time there during his prosecution.

But Rankin’s judgment order adds another provision: “The defendant shall report to a duly authorized immigration official for deportation on Oct. 7, 2024. at 1 p.m., in Casper,” wrote the judge.

Rankin recommended ICE start removal proceedings.

Clair McFarland can be reached at clair@cowboystatedaily.com.