Suspect's Bail Revoked After High-Speed Police Chase
David Creed •
This week’s Current Court Report includes arraignments and dispositions from Monday’s Nantucket District Court session. It is led by an island resident who had his bail revoked on an open drunk driving case after he was pulled over in a separate incident by island police in late November for driving 80 miles per hour in a 25 mile per hour speed zone, crashed his vehicle into a fence, and fled the scene by foot into the woods where he admitted to hiding all night to avoid the police surveying the area.
Juan H. Vasquez-Villalta, 26, of Nantucket, was arraigned on Nov. 26thcharges of negligent operation of a motor vehicle, leaving the scene of property damage, failure to stop for police, speeding, and operating a motor vehicle with a suspended license for OUI. Vasquez-Villalta was also arraigned on Dec. 15th charges of operating a motor vehicle with a suspended license, not being in possession of a driver’s license, and operating a motor vehicle without an inspection sticker.
Vasquez-Villalta had $100 cash bail placed on the Nov. 26th charges, $500 cash bail placed on the Dec. 15th charges, and had his bail revoked on an open case stemming from May 24th charges of operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol, operating a motor vehicle with a suspended license, failure to stop for police, negligent operation of a motor vehicle, refusing to provide police with his license/registration/plates, and speeding. These charges also resulted in a violation of his one-year probation he was serving on an April 13th charge of assault & battery.
According to the police report, island police were at Airport Gas when they observed Vasquez-Villalta driving a black pickup truck on Old South Road toward Nobadeer Farm Road on Tuesday, November 26th, and allegedly observed him driving 80 miles per hour in a 25 mile per hour speed zone.
Massachusetts State Police and Nantucket Police attempted to catch up with Vasquez-Villalta. They followed him down Nobadeer Farm Road and Sun Island Road, where the car stopped at a dead end. Police said in their report when they approached the vehicle, no one was inside. Police searched the area and could not find the operator, but they did observe that the vehicle had crashed into a wooden plank fence.
Later in the day, a state police trooper saw a man walking down the Nobadeer Farm Road bike path, stopped him, and interviewed the man. The man identified himself as Vasquez-Villalta and allegedly admitted to the trooper that he was the one involved in the accident earlier.
Later on, NPD received a report of three people fighting at a Greglen Avenue property. One of the individuals was Vasquez-Villalta, who admitted to seeing the blue cruiser lights while being chased. He told police he jumped out of the vehicle before it crashed and hid in the woods all night across from the playing fields. He added that he was worried about being stopped because of his suspended license status and that he “froze his nuts off" while hiding.
The Cape & Island’s District Attorney’s Office requested the bail that was set on the new charges and asked that his bail be revoked on the open OUI case. They argued that Vasquez-Villalta was a threat to public safety and that he was not taking the pending cases against him seriously.
The DA's office told Judge James Sullivan that Vasquez-Villalta had been previously scheduled to appear in court on December 16th for a pretrial hearing on an open OUI case and an arraignment on the Nov. 26th charges, all while serving probation on an assault & battery case following a plea deal. But that did not deter him from being arrested on December 15th for illegally operating a car, and the DA's office argued this proved he was a threat to the island community.
Nantucket District Court Judge James Sullivan agreed with DA's office and revoked Vasquez-Villalta bail on the OUI case. He was sent to the Barnstable House of Corrections, where he will be held until at least January 6th, 2025, which is the date of his next scheduled pretrial hearing, or until the case is resolved.
In other Nantucket District Court news, Ludwin Flores Benitez, 38, of Nantucket, will have a June 14th charge of negligent operation of a motor vehicle continued without a finding for one year on the condition he complete his probation without a violation and pay $300 in fees.
Charges of operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol, a marked lanes violation, and unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle stemming from the same incident were dismissed.
Joao Vithor De Souza Pires, 22, of Nantucket, was arraigned on three Dec. 14th charges of violating an abuse prevention order. He had not-guilty pleas entered on his behalf and was ordered to return to court March 4th for a pretrial hearing.
After completing six months of pretrial probation, Sergio Jimenez Orozco, 41, of West Palm Beach, Florida, had June 22nd, 2023 charges of reckless operation of a motor vehicle and a passing violation dismissed.
After completing six months of pretrial probation, Delores Ramirez Interiono, 31, of Nantucket, had two Sept. 7th, 2023 charges of assault & battery dismissed.
Francisco S. Romero Matos, 31, of Wood Haven, New York, had a Sept. 23rd charge of assault & battery due to lack of prosecution after the alleged victim in the case declined to cooperate with prosecutors.
*All defendants are considered innocent until proven guilty under a court of law*