Santos Benitez-Tejada
A Fernley man faces up to six years in prison for felony eluding, reckless driving, endangering others, and destruction of property.
Santos Robin Benitez Tejada, 49, was arrested March 7 after driving a lifted blue pickup 80-100 mph through Minden.
The lifted blue pickup was reportedly first sighted near Leviathan Mine Road driving erratically.
Deputies caught up to the pickup in Minden near 10th street just as Douglas High School was letting out and pursued it over Kingsbury into South Lake Tahoe, before they last saw him turn up Pioneer Trail.
The pickup had a temporary California plate, which helped investigators connect it to Benitez Tejada.
He was arrested by Nevada State Police the evening of the chase in Fernley.
He entered a guilty plea to eluding on Monday. Sentencing is set for Nov. 18.
• A rare diversion for what would usually mean mandatory prison was granted to a Carson City man accused in a drunken hit and run.
Alexander Patrick Hulsey, 34, was driving someone else’s Ford Escape when he struck a couple in a Mercedes on March 11, 2023, at the intersection of Vicki Lane and Stephanie Way.
“If we were in another car, we would have lost our lives,” the driver of the other car said in a victim impact statement.
After colliding with the Mercedes, Hulsey put the vehicle in reverse and drove off. A witness followed Hulsey as he fled the scene, which led to his arrest in Carson City, where he was seen stumbling away from the Escape.
Hulsey entered a guilty plea to felony DUI in Carson City and has been participating in the DUI Court there.
Technically, Sept. 17 was Hulsey’s fourth DUI conviction, which would call for a sentence of 2-15 years.
But in part because it was a continuation of the same behavior, District Judge Tod Young allowed Hulsey to continue in DUI Court, which was part of the plea agreement.
However, Young ordered Hulsey to start over in Douglas DUI Court, telling him he could be there for five years. If successful, Hulsey would admit to a second misdemeanor DUI. However, if he ever got another he would face 2-15 years.
