Man previously deported 3 times charged with DUI in Kershaw Co.

An undocumented immigrant who has been thrice-deported from the United States was jailed for drunken driving in Kershaw County.

Ramon Orlando Alvarenga-Rodriguez, 33, was charged with DUI-second offense, driving without a driver’s license and open container, according to the Kershaw County Sheriff’s Office. He was placed in the Kershaw County jail.

An off-duty Forest Acres officer saw Alvarenga-Rodriguez driving recklessly into Elgin just before 9 p.m. Saturday, Sheriff Jim Matthews said. The officer reported that Alvarenga-Rodriguez was running vehicles off the roadway and appeared to be under the influence.

The suspect fled on foot when confronted by an Elgin police officer at a gas station but was later caught, Matthews said.

Alvarenga-Rodriguez, who is from Honduras, refused to provide his correct name and date of birth, Matthews said. Deputies learned he had been arrested for DUI in Charleston in 2015, and that he uses eight different names and dates of birth.

After contacting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, deputies found out Alvarenga-Rodriguez had been deported three times and was again in the United States illegally, Matthews said. ICE has placed a hold for deportation on Alvarenga-Rodriguez, who has previous arrests for felony DUI resulting in death, shoplifting, open container, domestic violence and traffic offenses.

“Somehow, some way, some U.S. government entity needs to ensure that this guy does not come back into the United States, specifically into South Carolina and more specifically into Kershaw County,” Matthews said. “Rodriguez is just a local example of a much larger national problem that needs to be fixed.”

This story was originally published February 27, 2017 at 12:20 PM with the headline "Man previously deported 3 times charged with DUI in Kershaw Co.."