Man who crashed truck into Louisville's jail has several charges dropped in plea deal
A man who crashed his truck last summer into Louisville’s downtown jail pleaded guilty Wednesday to a criminal mischief charge and saw other charges dismissed in the case.
Michael Perez, 42, will face sentencing next year on the second-degree criminal mischief count, which was amended down from first-degree criminal mischief as part of a plea deal that also saw two counts of first-degree wanton endangerment dropped against the Louisville man.
Perez’s family will also seek psychiatric treatment for him, and he will owe $875 in restitution, according to court records.
Sentencing will take place in one year, at a date not yet specified in court records, with a review hearing related to the psychiatric treatment set for Nov. 4. In the meantime, Perez has been released from jail, a county attorney's office spokesman said.
Perez’s attorney listed in court records did not immediately return a phone call and email seeking comment.
Second-degree criminal mischief, which applies to someone who “intentionally or wantonly defaces, destroys, or damages any property” that causes between $500 and $1,000 in financial loss, is a Class A misdemeanor in Kentucky punishable by up to a year in jail and/or a maximum $500 fine.
Perez was arrested after he crashed his truck into the front door of the Metro Corrections building around 12:20 p.m. on July 13, 2021.
No one was injured in the crash, which put the jail on lockdown and shut down streets surrounding the jail, 400 S. Sixth St., for several hours.
The Spanish phrase "Patria y vida," meaning "homeland and life" in English, was spray-painted on the side of the truck, a Metro Corrections official had confirmed after the crash.
The phrase is a rallying cry critical of the Cuban government, and in the days leading up to the crash, Cubans had been protesting in the streets against the Caribbean nation’s ruling Communist Party.
Police in Louisville, however, had said Perez’s motive was unclear, with his family sharing concerns for his mental health.
Reach Billy Kobin at bkobin@courierjournal.com
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville man Michael Perez has plea deal in Metro Corrections crash
