A New Jersey man who crashed his vehicle into a Hatfield Municipal Sewer tank in February 2020 has pleaded guilty to DUI nearly three years later.
Allan Alas-Vasquez, 32, of Flemington, NJ, pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of DUI – first offense on Monday, and was subsequently sentenced to six months of probation and a $300 fine. Court records show additional charges of DUI, trespassing by motor vehicle, and having an open container of alcohol in a vehicle were dropped in exchange for his plea.
Alas-Vasquez’s case, like many others in Montgomery County, experienced substantial delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the havoc the ensuing shutdowns had on the county court system.
Hatfield Township Police were dispatched to the 3200 block of Advanced Lane on Feb. 2, 2020, at 1:02 a.m. for a report of an overturned vehicle in a drainage ditch with one occupant trapped inside. Upon arrival, police said they located a white Honda Civic that was nearly upside down in a wash tank, and outside the vehicle, they located the driver—identified as 29-year-old Allan Alas-Vasquez—who stated that he had crashed into the tank and his friend was still trapped inside of the vehicle.
Crews from multiple area fire companies immediately worked to stabilize the vehicle and begin extrication. The trapped passenger was freed from the vehicle at 2:15 a.m. and transported to a local hospital for treatment of what police described as non-life-threatening injuries.
According to the criminal complaint, while police spoke to Alas-Vasquez on scene, they noted a strong odor of alcohol emanating from his breath, along with signs of intoxication including bloodshot, watery eyes and slurred speech. As emergency medical personnel prepared Alas-Vasquez for transport to Lansdale Hospital for treatment of a possible head injury, police informed him that he was under arrest for DUI, the report states.
While at the hospital, Alas-Vasquez consented to a chemical blood test, the report states. Police received the results of the test several weeks later, which showed that Alas-Vasquez had a blood-alcohol content of .184 percent at the time of the blood draw, the report states. The test also revealed the presence of marijuana in his blood stream at the time of the crash, according to the complaint.
Crash scene investigators determined that Alas-Vasquez was driving his vehicle southbound through the property of 3200 Advance Lane when he impacted a metal railing and concrete barrier, causing the vehicle to fall into the wash tank, the report states. Once the front of the vehicle hit the bottom of the tank, the vehicle vaulted forward and came to rest on a second railing, according to the complaint.
Police also recovered an opened can of beer from the driver’s side floorboard, the report states.
Hatfield Township Police Department and Colmar Fire Company were assisted at the scene by units from the Hatfield Fire Company, Fire Department of Montgomery Township, Hilltown Fire Company, the Montgomery County Urban Search and Rescue Team and Volunteer Medical Service Corps of Lansdale.
As a result of the investigation, Alas-Vasquez was charged with multiple counts of DUI, as well as summary counts of trespassing by motor vehicle and having an open alcohol container in a vehicle.
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