The La Porte County Sheriff’s Office announces the arrests of two New York City men along I-80/90 earlier this week. Highway Interdiction Deputies initiated two traffic stops on Tuesday (9/23) hours apart from each other on the same vehicle with both stops producing an arrest.
Shortly after 11:00 AM, a deputy was monitoring westbound traffic along I-80/90. A sport utility vehicle (blue Kia Telluride) traveling in the passing lane passed a deputy and left the lane of travel. The SUV traveled left of the yellow fog line and onto the rumble strip for several hundred feet.
A traffic stop was initiated in the area of the 52-mile marker. The driver was identified as 39-year-old Carlos Velez-Angulo of the Bronx. The passenger was eventually identified as 45-year-old Billy Santiago of Brooklyn, only after initially providing a false name.
Deputies learned Santiago was wanted for a New York parole violation with nationwide extradition. Santiago was taken into custody and transported to the La Porte County Jail (LCJ). Velez-Angulo was later released.
Suspecting that criminal activity was further afoot with Velez-Angulo, the SUV was entered into an information sharing database.
Later that afternoon, deputies learned the blue Kia Telluride was now traveling eastbound along I-80/90. At approximately 5:52 PM, the SUV passed by a deputy while working the Domestic Highway Enforcement (DHE) initiative. In the area of the 55-mile marker, the deputy determined the vehicle was traveling more than the posted speed limit and left its lane of travel once again.
A traffic stop was initiated, and Velez-Angulo was found to be operating the vehicle again. Velez-Angulo agreed to exit the vehicle. As the traffic stop progressed, the deputy’s suspicions of Velez-Angulo and his recent activities increased. As the deputy approached the vehicle, Velez-Angulo began running in a northeast direction. Velez-Angulo ran across the eastbound lanes, through the median, across the westbound lanes, and off into the distance.
A large perimeter was established and a search for Velez-Angulo commenced. The vehicle was impounded and during an inventory search, two vacuum-sealed packages consistent with that of illegal narcotics was recovered.
Several hours later, Velez-Angulo was apprehended and taken into custody near the 61-mile marker following a brief foot chase with an Indiana State Police Trooper.
Velez-Angulo was transported to the LCJ for a 48-hour hold pending criminal charges.
Highway Interdiction Deputies presented the case, including charging information and a probable cause affidavit, to the La Porte County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. Probable Cause was later found for the arrest of Velez-Angulo for the following offenses:
Count I – Dealing in a Narcotic Drug, L2 Felony
Count II – Dealing in a Narcotic Drug, L2 Felony
Count III – Resisting Law Enforcement, A-Misd.
Velez-Angulo remains housed in the LCJ and is being held on a $50,005.00 cash-only bond through La Porte County Circuit Court.
DHE is a High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) program / initiative. DHE is designed to disrupt the flow of drugs and weapons moving domestically. DHE, funded by federal monies and administered by Indiana HIDTA, allows additional trained deputies to work criminal interdiction enforcement.
Arrests and criminal charges are mere accusations. Every person is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.