A Colombian woman was arrested for having a stolen tag used in a burglary and showing a fake license used to cross the border.
A deputy spotted the driver of a gray Honda Odyssey, later identified as 21-year-old Angie Nicole Martinez Rojas, in the area of U.S. Hwy. 27 and Woodcrest Way around 3 p.m. Sunday, according to an arrest report from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office. A check of the tag revealed it was stolen out of Wyoming.
The deputy subsequently conducted a traffic stop at the intersection of U.S. Highway 27 and Frank Jarrell Road. The deputy identified Rojas as “Lina Marulanda-Rodriguez” by her Republic of Colombia driver’s license. She advised that she had been in the United States for about three months, did not have a passport and would not reveal how she traveled to the United States, the report said.
An inspection of the license showed it expired Feb. 25, 2022. A hit was sent on to the stolen license plate to Wyoming law enforcement, confirming the license plate had been reported as stolen. Rojas was taken into custody and placed in the rear of the patrol vehicle, the report said.
As Rojas was getting out of the vehicle, the deputy could smell the odor of burnt marijuana coming from the interior of the vehicle. A probable cause search of the vehicle was therefore conducted, the report said.
In the driver’s door, the deputy found two black latex gloves, a toothbrush, toothpaste and a bar of soap. An ashtray with a burnt paper smoking device containing green leafy substance was in the center console. In the second-row seating, the deputy found a black and gray Colombia rain jacket with a toothbrush and a travel-sized toothpaste in the right pocket, the report said.
Under the floorboard behind the center console was an empty space with a set of sockets for a socket wrench, as well as neon green construction face masks. The report noted there were face masks in the driver’s side door. In the third-row seating, there was a pair of baby blue sweatpants and a black matrix rain jacket. The deputy also found a black backpack which contained a long silver metal item.
A query of the VIN number revealed the vehicle was previously registered to a different person. The deputy made contact with Wyoming Police, who advised the tag was used in a burglary in Ohio. As such, he requested LCSO to seize the tag and place a hold on the vehicle. It was towed by The Car Store, where a tow sheet was completed, the report said.
Another deputy responded to the scene for translation purposes and explained to Rojas her rights. She waived them and chose to speak with law enforcement, wherein she advised that she was currently arguing with her husband and took the vehicle to an undisclosed location. She stated her husband bought the vehicle about a month ago, and she did not know where the tag was from because it was on the vehicle when it was purchased, the report said.
In speaking with the husband, he stated that Rojas bought the tag from an unknown subject and placed it on the vehicle two days ago. However, upon further questioning, the husband retracted his statement and advised that he purchased the tag from an unknown location in Miami, the report said.
Rojas was thus taken to Lake County Jail without incident. Upon arrival at the jail, a detention deputy asked Rojas what her date of birth was, to which she replied with her real birthdate. It was found that the birthdate on the license with the name “Lina” was not her correct information, the report said.
The detention deputy then asked if the Colombian license was real to which Rojas admitted it was fake. She then gave her real name and reiterated her date of birth. She openly admitted to buying a fake license in order to get across the border of Mexico, the report said.
Rojas was ultimately charged with no driver’s license never had one, operating an unregistered motor vehicle, petit theft, knowingly display or possess counterfeit driver’s license and false information to law enforcement officer. The native of Colombia was released from jail after posting $2,500 bond despite the deputy requesting that she be held without one due to her possibly being a flight risk.
At the time of the report, the case was to be forwarded to CIB for further investigation with Wyoming Police detectives.
