Warrant Evader Congratulates Police on Catching Him

Riverside police arrested a man Dec. 1 who used aliases to cover DUI convictions and warrants, including an escaped custody warrant.

Jose O. Trujillo, 37 of the 100 block of Oak Knoll Drive in Lake Villa, was pulled over at 11:43 a.m. in the 200 block of Lawton Road in Riverside for expired registration, according to Riverside police.

The license plate tag was also suspended for an insurance violation.

Trujillo gave the officer a Mexican I.D that had an incorrect spelling of his name on it. He said he didn’t have a valid Illinois license, proof of insurance or another form of identification.

The officer ran the name and date of birth on the Mexican I.D. and found a suspension for a prior DUI, police reported. Trujillo was arrested.

Trujillo told police he had been arrested multiple times for driving during his suspension for DUI conviction and prior DUIs, but officers could only find one previous arrest for the name he had given them, according to police. Trujillo was held while his fingerprints were processed.

When the fingerprints cleared, Trujillo’s name returned with several other names, three different Illinois driver’s licenses that were suspended for prior DUI convictions and warrants including an escaped custody warrant, police reported.

The warrants included a DUI warrant from 2005 by Lake County Sherff’s Police, a possession of controlled substance and aggravate felony DUI warrant from 2009 by the Lake County Sheriff’s Department and an escape penal institution warrant from 2009 by the Lake County Sheriff’s Police Department for failing to report for periodic imprisonment, police reported.

Trujillo told investigators he had been using fake I.D.s, birth dates and names for 10 years, and he said many law enforcement agencies overlooked the false information and didn’t fingerprint him. He congratulated the officer who arrested him for finding his true identity and doing his job, police reported.

Trujillo was charged with one count of aggravated felony driving while license revoked, driving with suspended registration, driving with expired license plates, driving with no insurance and one count of misdemeanor driving while license suspended.

“Mr. Trujillo is now in custody at the Cook County Department of Corrections and will be held accountable for his current charges in Riverside and the outstanding warrants that he has been running from for over 10 years,” said Riverside Police Chief Thomas Weitzel in a statement.

Photo via Riverside police.