Driver sentenced to nearly 22 years after fatal crash during checkpoint flight
A man who fled a New Mexico Border Patrol checkpoint while transporting methamphetamine was sentenced to nearly 22 years after a high-speed crash killed a motorcyclist.
Authorities say the man fled a New Mexico Border Patrol checkpoint at high speed while carrying nearly 10 kilograms of meth, driving into oncoming traffic and killing a motorcyclist.
Organ Mountain News report
ALBUQUERQUE - A man who fled a U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint at high speed and crashed into a motorcyclist, killing him, has been sentenced to nearly 22 years in federal prison.
According to court records, Jeffery Christopher Saint Louis, 29, drove away from a checkpoint on Highway 54 on Nov. 8, 2023 after being referred to secondary inspection. Authorities say he accelerated to speeds above 100 mph, weaved through traffic and eventually drove into oncoming lanes.
The pursuit ended when Saint Louis collided head-on with a motorcyclist, who died at the scene. Investigators later determined he was traveling about 71 mph at the time of the crash and did not brake before impact.
Officers detained Saint Louis after his vehicle left the roadway. A search of the car uncovered about 9.9 kilograms of methamphetamine in the trunk.
During interviews, Saint Louis told investigators he knew the drugs were in the vehicle and fled the checkpoint because of them. He also admitted he intended to distribute the methamphetamine.
Saint Louis pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and high-speed flight from an immigration checkpoint. He will also serve five years of supervised release after his prison term.
Federal and local agencies, including the Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Border Patrol and New Mexico State Police, investigated the case.
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