Illegal migrant with 4 DUIs allegedly crashes into nurse as sheriff slams system
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An Ohio sheriff has been charged with previously releasing an illegal immigrant with an extensive criminal history who allegedly struck and seriously injured an Ohio nurse while driving under the influence.
Johen Perez-Ventura, 27, an illegal immigrant from Guatemala, is charged with aggravated vehicular assault, driving without a license and obstruction of justice, according to Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones.
Nurse and volunteer cheerleading coach Courtney Steinmetz was driving on Route 747 on Nov. 20 when she was allegedly shot head-on by Perez-Ventura in Liberty Township, Ohio.
Nurse Courtney Steinmetz suffered broken bones and injured her spine after being hit by a drunk driver. (Courtney Steinmetz/Facebook)
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According to Jones, Perez-Ventura was first caught crossing the Texas border in 2019 and was sent back to Guatemala.
At some point he returned to the US and was charged with assault in Cincinnati in 2023.
Jones said he was arrested that same year and charged with driving under the influence in Westchester. Perez-Ventura was released following both arrests.
But Perez-Ventura’s criminal past didn’t end there. In 2024, he was arrested twice for drunk driving and released again.
Johen Perez-Ventura is facing multiple charges for allegedly driving under the influence and causing a crash that injured an Ohio woman. (Butler County Sheriff’s Office)
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“This asshole named Johann has been arrested [four times] For those who were driving drunk… there was alcohol in the car, had to be removed from the car, [went] Jones said in a video post on the Butler County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page: “You know who’s paying for this. We’re doing it. … This isn’t his first time. … He’s used to it. He’s just going to be in the wind. … Not this time. We waited and then [Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)] It caused concern.”
Jones said Perez-Ventura didn’t have a driver’s license and thought he might have shown fake identification to officers at other agencies, and they let him go anyway.
“This in itself is a horrifying situation,” the sheriff said. “They didn’t want to send him to my prison because he would probably be deported. [had] “At that point he was already incarcerated for DUI and assault and had crossed the limit twice.”
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Perez-Ventura, who used a translator, claimed he was not the driver because he was on probation for one of his previous crimes.
After the crash, Jones visited Steinmetz in the hospital and said he understood she was in “serious pain,” suffered a spinal injury, had a broken wrist and fractured ankle.
“He is 27 years old, he is living his dream, he works as an assistant in the hospital, he saves people’s lives. He is in the hospital today,” he said. “He hasn’t even gotten out of bed yet. He’s going to be unemployed for a long time. He’s probably going to have problems with his spine for the rest of his life.”
Courtney Steinmetz is currently recovering after surviving a head-on collision with an allegedly drunk driver. Deputies said they found an open bottle of alcohol in the suspect’s car. (Emma-le Rybolt/Facebook)
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Since Perez-Ventura did not have insurance, a GoFundMe was set up for Steinmetz to help with medical bills, lost wages and insurance deductibles.
A family member wrote on the crowdfunding site that despite his injuries, Steinmetz “hopes the rival driver is in good shape despite the pain this has caused.”
“He doesn’t care. When you look at his mugshot, he’s got a grin on his face,” Jones said. “I promise you, he will not be deported again… He will get a little taste of the American prison…. He will be kept in a cell until he gets into prison, then when he is much older he can be deported…. This despicable man is lying in my prison, eating three meals a day, whining and crying. [He] “You probably don’t like conditions that are much better than you deserve.”
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Jones added that he will file additional charges against Perez-Ventura in connection with the crash and will investigate businesses that allegedly sold him alcohol, people he drank with, and people who sold or loaned him a car.
“I have no sympathy,” Jones said. “If he had been deported the first time and remained deported, we wouldn’t be going through this.”
Nearly a half-dozen illegal immigrants were recently arrested in Butler County on charges ranging from sex crimes to assaults, drunken driving and drug offenses, according to the sheriff.
Fox News Digital’s Mitch Picasso contributed to this report.
