The 22-year-old man who allegedly struck a Billings police vehicle while driving drunk early Saturday morning pleaded not guilty to one felony and two misdemeanors Tuesday.
Yohan Cruz Cuellar was charged with felony criminal endangerment, misdemeanor driving under the influence and misdemeanor obstructing a peace officer.
He was read the charges in Yellowstone County District Court Tuesday through a Spanish interpreter.
Related: Billings police patrol vehicle involved in early-morning crash
Cuellar is being held in the Yellowstone County Detention Facility on a federal immigration detainer, which means he will not be let out of jail, even if he posts bail. Federal authorities place the hold on people they suspect are in the country illegally and are seeking to deport.
Nevertheless, Judge David Carter set Cuellar's bail at $25,000 with a GPS monitor.
Billings police said on social media this weekend that Cuellar is from Honduras. Yellowstone County Attorney Scott Twito said Tuesday he could not confirm Cuellar's country of origin or immigration status. Twito added that Cuellar does not appear to have a criminal record. Twito said he is also unaware of any ties Cuellar has to the community.
According to charging documents, Cuellar was driving a white van that struck a Billings police patrol vehicle around 2:12 a.m. Saturday. Officer Cale Gullett was heading south on 10th Street West on patrol when he saw a speeding vehicle approaching on Avenue C, according to charging documents.
The vehicle, a white van, struck Gullett's patrol car, spinning it around, according to charging documents. After it stopped, Gullett got out of his vehicle to check on the occupants of the van, who climbed out the side of van and ackowledged they were okay. Gullett identified the man wearing a yellow shirt as the driver, later identified as Cuellar.
The two men then both fled the scene but were caught separately by police following a short pursuit. The second man was only identified in court documents as H.M., a 31-year-old man.
Once he was in the back of a police vehicle, Cuellar was questioned by an officer who spoke Spanish. The officer detected an odor that appeared to be alcohol, and Cuelllar allegedly admitted to drinking two beers and heading to a store to buy more, according to court documents.
Cuellar agreed to perform a field sobriety test, which yielded multiple clues indicating possible inebriation, according to charging documents. He refused to supply samples of his blood or breath, and law enforcement obtained a warrant to take a blood sample.
