Early Monday morning, a traffic stop led to the arrest of a man identified as Donaldo Pacheco Mendoza, 29, of Columbus, after officers discovered multiple fraudulent identification documents in his vehicle.
While patrolling State Route 117 near State Route 274, Logan County Sheriff Deputies noticed a vehicle with dark-tinted windows that obscured the driver’s identity. Upon stopping the vehicle near County Road 100, they made contact with the driver, who presented a Mexican identification card, stating his name was Alexander Ramirez. He claimed to be traveling from Columbus to Indiana but struggled to provide further details due to a language barrier.
During the stop, officials ran the vehicle’s registration, which was linked to a tax ID rather than a Social Security number, raising suspicions about the legitimacy of the registration. Officers noted that such practices are often associated with individuals attempting to circumvent legal requirements, including potential contraband smuggling.
After obtaining consent to search the vehicle, officers discovered multiple identification cards, including three with the name Christian Ramirez and one with Alexander Ramirez. A Social Security card in the name of Christian Ramirez and two Mexican passports for Donaldo Pacheco Mendoza were also found. When questioned, Mendoza admitted that the IDs were fraudulent and intended for employment purposes.
Mendoza was detained and handcuffed, and officers read him his Miranda rights using a phone translation app. He confirmed that Donaldo Pacheco Mendoza was his real name and admitted that the initial identification he provided was fake.
He was charged with:
- False Identifying Information: a misdemeanor of the third degree
- Identity Fraud: a felony of the fifth degree
- Obstructing Official Business: a misdemeanor of the second degree
Further inquiries revealed that Mendoza had been deported in 2018 and was subject to re-deportation. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was notified and will follow up regarding his status.
Mendoza was transported to the Logan County Jail, and the vehicle was seized and towed to the Logan County Sheriff’s Office Impound lot for further investigation.
