City man charged with DUI in court

Arley Gomez, 34, pleaded not guilty to DUI, no driver’s license, lanes of travel and a criminal summons for open container in a motor vehicle in Girard Municipal Court.

According to the police report, an officer on patrol in the area of Goldie Road and Yvonne Drive noticed a silver Chevrolet with Ohio registration travelling eastbound on Goldie Road. The officer noted that the vehicle went 47 mph in a 25 mph zone, per his cruiser’s radar.

The officer also noted the vehicle failed to come to a complete stop at the Goldie Road intersection.

The report states the officer made contact with the driver, Jorge Escobar, and Gomez, the vehicle’s passenger, adding that he recognized Gomez from their previous interaction, where he was arrested on a DUI charge. The officer requested an identification card from Escobar, who provided a Mexican identification card, and Gomez insinuated he could not understand the request because of the language barrier, according to the report.

The officer returned to his cruiser and ran Gomez’s name through Girard Municipal Court records, where he discovered Gomez failed to appear for his OVI offense.

The report states Gomez “hesitantly complied” when the officer asked him to exit the vehicle. When Gomez was asked if he was “Arley Gomez”, he shook his head no. The officer located his Trumbull County Jail booking photo to confirm Gomez’s identity, and when Gomez was shown the photo, he smirked and continued shaking his head “no,” the report states.

The driver’s car was impounded because of Escobar not having a valid driver’s license, and he was told of a mandatory court appearance on charges of no operator’s license, speeding and right of way at stop signs. He was given a courtesy transport to his residence shortly afterward, the report states.

Escobar is set to appear for an arraignment today, court records show.

A Spanish-speaking officer made contact with Gomez, who obtained his information and current address. The officer told Gomez he failed to appear at his court appearance and was subsequently arrested, telling the officer that he “remembers” the incident, according to the report.

Gomez was being held on a $5,000 bond for his charges, but 10% of it was posted. He’s set to appear back in court for pretrial Sept. 4, according to court records.

Gomez was arrested Aug. 2 on his charges after he was seen veering left of center and nearly hit an officer’s cruiser, a report from the traffic stop states. While the driver corrected himself, the officer continued to watch him in the rearview mirror, seeing him veer left once again and drive in the middle lane of the two-lane road.

Upon turning around and pulling the vehicle over in the Goodwill parking lot, the officer made contact with the driver, identified as Gomez, and immediately noticed two open beer containers in the center cup holder compartments, the report states.