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An Ohio sheriff criticized fellow law enforcement agencies for previously releasing an illegal immigrant with an extensive criminal history after he allegedly struck an Ohio nurse while driving under the influence, seriously injuring her.
Johan Perez-Ventura, 27, an illegal immigrant from Guatemala, has been charged with aggravated vehicular assault, driving without a license and obstruction of justice, according to Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones.
Courtney Steinmetz, a nurse and volunteer cheerleading coach, was driving on Route 747 on November 20 when Perez-Ventura allegedly hit her in the head in Liberty Township, Ohio.
Nurse Courtney Steinmetz suffered broken bones and spinal injuries after being hit by a drunk driver. (Courtney Steinmetz/Facebook)
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According to Jones, Pérez-Ventura was first caught crossing the Texas border in 2019 and was deported back to Guatemala.
He returned to the United States at some point and in 2023 was charged with assault in Cincinnati.
That same year, he was arrested for driving under the influence in Westchester, Jones said. Pérez-Ventura was released following both arrests.
However, Pérez-Ventura’s criminal history did not end there. In 2024, he was arrested twice for drunk driving and then released.
Johan Perez-Ventura faces multiple charges after allegedly driving under the influence and causing a crash that injured an Ohio woman. (Butler County Sheriff’s Office)
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“The name of this low-life piece is Johanne, who has been arrested [four times] For DUI…had alcohol in his car, had to be thrown out of the car, [went] At the hospital,” Jones said in a video post on the Butler County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page. “You know who pays for this. We do …This is not his first time. …He’s used to it. He was just about to fly in the air. … not this time. we waited and then [Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)] Expressed apprehension.”
Jones said that Perez-Ventura did not have a driver’s license, speculating that he may have shown the fake ID to officers from other agencies, and they let him go anyway.
“That in itself is horrifying,” the sheriff said. “They probably didn’t want to send him to my prison because he would have been deported. That.” [had] At that time he had already been jailed for DUI, assault and was over the border twice.”
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Pérez-Ventura, using an interpreter, claimed that he was not the driver because he was on probation for one of his previous crimes.
After the accident, Jones visited Steinmetz in the hospital and said he could tell she was in “severe pain”, suffering a spinal cord injury, a broken wrist, and a broken ankle.
He said, “She is 27 years old, living her dream, working in the hospital as an RN, saving people’s lives. Now today she is in the hospital.” “She hasn’t even gotten out of bed yet. She’s going to be out of work for a long time. She’s probably going to have spinal problems for the rest of her life.”
Courtney Steinmetz is recovering after reportedly surviving a hit-and-run accident by a drunk driver. Deputies say they found an open container of alcohol in the suspect’s car. (Emma-Leigh Raybault/Facebook)
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A GoFundMe was set up for Steinmetz to help with medical bills, lost wages, and her insurance deductible – as Pérez-Ventura did not have insurance.
A family member wrote on the crowdfunding site that despite his injuries, Steinmetz is still “hopeful that the opposing driver is doing okay despite the pain.”
“He doesn’t care. You look at his mug shot, he’s got a smile on his face,” Jones said. “I promise you, he will not be deported again… He will get a little taste of an American prison. … He will get a cell until he goes to prison, then when he is old enough he can be deported. … This lowlife is lying in my prison, eating three meals a day, crying and crying. [He] “Maybe he doesn’t like the circumstances, which are better than he deserves.”
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Jones said he would bring additional charges against Pérez-Ventura related to the crash, and would investigate businesses that allegedly sold him alcohol, people he was drinking with, and people who sold or loaned him cars.
“I have no sympathy,” Jones said. “If he had been deported the first time and stayed deported, we wouldn’t be going through this.”
Nearly a half-dozen illegal immigrants have been arrested recently in Butler County, facing charges ranging from sex crimes and assault to DUI and drug offenses, according to the sheriff.
Fox News Digital’s Mitch Picasso contributed to this report.
