On May 26th 2015, at 12:42 AM, officers were sent the 2600 block of NE 6th on a reported accident in which a vehicle hit a house. Officers found that a silver 2004 Chevrolet was the vehicle first involved. That vehicle had been northbound on N. Nelson when the driver lost control, left the roadway, struck wooden and chain link fences at 2617 and 2619 NE 6th, then hit a red Hyundai parked in the driveway at 2619. The impact pushed the red Hyundai into the exterior wall of the house, and the silver Chevrolet also struck the house. There was minor damage to the outside wall of the house. Both vehicles sustained heavy damage. Officers spoke to the witnesses and drivers present, and found that two vehicles had been racing each other before the accident. The driver of the silver car was Jonathan Trevino HM 23. Also present was Joe Angel Salinas HM 27. Salinas had not been involved in the accident, but witnesses identified his red Chevrolet and him as being involved in the street race between the two. Officers found that the race started somewhere near 3rd and N. Osage. Salinas had stopped nearby after the accident. There were no injuries.
Both men were arrested and booked into the Potter County Detention Center on class B misdemeanor charges of racing. Class B misdemeanor convictions can result in a fine of up to $2000, up to 180 days in jail, or both. In addition, a conviction on a racing charge carries an automatic one year suspension of a driver’s license and arrest for drivers subsequently found driving with a suspended license.
