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CHASE ENDS IN ARREST Police said they pursued Omar Hernandez at speeds that reached 110 miles per hour until he suddenly stopped his car in the middle of Route 18. |
Official faces drunken driving charges
A civil federal immigration official pleaded not guilty yesterday to a second drunken driving offense in Quincy District Court, where he was arraigned after authorities said he led Weymouth police on a chase early Sunday in which speeds topped 100 miles per hour.
Omar Hernandez was freed on $1,000 cash bail by Judge Diane E. Moriarty, who also barred him from driving.
According to his Registry of Motor Vehicles record, Hernandez has amassed a four-page list of traffic infractions, including a 2006 conviction for drunken driving, a 2003 charge of driving with an open container of alcohol in Hull, and three speeding tickets since 1999.
He also has been involved in at least four accidents for which he was at least partially at fault in Boston, Saugus, Malden, and Quincy between 1999 and 2006, the Registry records show.
In a brief telephone interview, Hernandez’s lawyer, Christopher P. Ryan of Quincy, declined to comment following the arraignment of the 32-year-old resident of Weymouth.
When stopped by police in Quincy in October 2006, Hernandez refused to take a chemical breath test and had his license suspended for 180 days. Under Melanie’s Law, Hernandez’s license is now suspended for three years because police said he refused to take the test Sunday.
According to David Traub, spokesman for Norfolk District Attorney William Keating’s office, and police, Hernandez was spotted by Weymouth police speeding as he exited off Route 3 and traveled onto Route 18 southbound.
Police said an officer spotted Hernandez speed past in a black Mercedes around 2:37 a.m.
Police said they pursued Hernandez at speeds that reached 110 miles per hour until he suddenly stopped his car in the middle of Route 18 near Park Avenue and refused orders to get out of the vehicle.
“He didn’t want to get out of the car,’’ said police Captain James Mullin, who said officers never had a chance to ask Hernandez to perform field sobriety tests. “It was more of a wrestling match than a field sobriety test.’’
Mullin said Hernandez was charged with drunken driving, second offense, based on the observations of officers who said they smelled alcohol and saw that Hernandez had glassy eyes.
Hernandez is an immigration services officer for the Boston office of US Citizenship and Immigration Services, according to agency spokesman Bill Wright. Hernandez is one of the first officials that people contact when they have immigration issues, Wright said.
“At USCIS, we are not law enforcement, so he [Hernandez] has absolutely no law enforcement role whatsoever,’’ Wright said.
Hernandez has worked for the federal agency, part of the US Department of Homeland Security, since Sept. 18, 2005. He asked a supervisor for permission to take accumulated leave, a request that was granted, Wright said.
“This is leave he already had earned,’’ said Wright. “He is being paid.’’
Wright said Hernandez has a G-9 pay rating. According to federal pay scales, as a G-9 Hernandez would earn between $50,769 and $66,000 annually.
John Ellement can be reached at ellement@globe.com. 
© Copyright 2009 Globe Newspaper Company.