9/3/09
A jealous Española man allegedly tried to light his ex-girlfriend’s new boyfriend’s truck on fire Aug. 25, and then was arrested for drunk driving as he made his getaway, according to court documents.
Richard Rael, 29, was charged with aggravated driving under the influence, vehicular burglary, harassment, two counts of resisting or obstructing an officer, disorderly conduct and arson, documents state.
It was Rael’s fourth DUI offense, court documents state. According to an online court records database, he pleaded guilty to DUI in 1999 and 2003 and has an outstanding DUI charge from 2007. In 2000 he pleaded guilty to giving alcohol to minors, and has had numerous battery and property damage charges that were dismissed before trial.
This latest incident began Aug. 25 at about 1 a.m. when Rael allegedly started calling April Sattler, his ex-girlfriend, non-stop, prompting her to turn off her cell phone ringer, according to documents. Finally Sattler’s new boyfriend, Timothy Romero, answered the phone, and Rael told Romero he wanted to fight him.
Sattler, Romero and police provided the following account of what happened next in court documents:
A short while after making the calls, Rael showed up at Sattler’s Alcalde home and started banging on her windows and doors. Rael demanded Romero come out and fight him, but when Sattler told him she had called police, he allegedly lit some paper on fire and put it in the gas tank of Romero’s 1997 Chevrolet pickup truck.
Sattler put out the fire, and Rael fled the scene. Officers en route to the scene saw Rael in a white pickup truck weaving in and out of a southbound lane on State Road 68. After he was pulled over, Rael admitted to drinking two beers and a shot. He claimed to be coming from Red’s Tavern, but when he was reminded that he was north of Red’s and going southbound, he claimed he was coming from the Ohkay Casino.
Rael failed all the field sobriety tests except the one requiring him to stand on one leg, which he refused to do, and at that point he motioned as if to strike the arresting officer. He claimed he was unable to do the heel-toe walk because he is pigeon-toed, but the officer noted he was clearly not pigeon-toed.
Rael’s blood alcohol concentration tested at .17 and .18, more than twice the legal limit and high enough for him to be charged with aggravated driving under the influence. While he was being booked at State Police District 7 headquarters in Española, Rael continued to cause problems. He kicked and hit a door repeatedly until he was handcuffed farther away from it, then began kicking a garbage can until it was removed from his reach. Even another prisoner and a 911 dispatcher complained about Rael’s behavior, and the other prisoner told Rael to be quiet.
Rael was moved farther from the other prisoner, and in the process moved to strike an officer. He was taken down and then moved to the far end of a holding cell, where he attempted to kick out a window. When officers again went to move him, he threatened to beat up the arresting officer. Rael continued to yell until he was transported to Rio Arriba County Jail, where he was being held on a $20,000 bond.