SUN Staff Report
7/16/09
The son of Los Cariños Charter School Chancellor Vernon Jaramillo is receiving treatment at St. Vincent Hospital in Santa Fe for a broken back and other injuries he suffered when hit by an alleged drunk driver early the morning of July 11.
Mevlyn J. Jaramillo, 37, of La Madera, was driving north just around 1 a.m. on State Road 14 outside Santa Fe when Michael T. Atencio, 28, of Santa Fe, drove into Jaramillo’s car, sending it to a spin, according to a Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Department report. Jaramillo, who has worked as a guard and then sergeant the past 17 years at the Santa Fe State Penitentiary, was hospitalized for a spinal fracture, concussion and other injuries, Freddie Trujillo, who is Mevlyn Jaramillo’s step-brother, said.
Deputies found Atencio 15 minutes later pushing his red Audi sedan near the intersection of Airport Road and South Meadow Road in Santa Fe, according to the report.
After Atencio failed field sobriety tests, he was sent to St. Vincent’s Hospital for a blood alcohol test and later booked at Santa Fe County Jail, the report states.
Atencio faces charges in Santa Fe Magistrate Court of great bodily damage by vehicle, reckless driving, failure to give information and render aid, and driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs, according to an online court records database. Atencio was being held in Santa Fe County Jail on a $25,000 bond as of Tuesday evening, jail booking staff confirmed.
Sheriff’s Maj. Ron Madrid said his department is still waiting for blood alcohol results.
Atencio did not enter a plea at his July 13 arraignment, the database states.
Atencio faced charges for a separate incident in 2005, according to the database.
Prosecutors in that case dismissed careless driving and possession of drug paraphernelia charges. Atencio pleaded no contest to charges of DWI and driving with an open alcohol container, the database states. Santa Fe Magistrate Court issued a bench warrant for Atencio in August 2007 in connection to that first incident after he failed meet show up to driving school.