WYOMING, Mich. — A motorist who did not have a valid driver’s license is facing two felony charges stemming from a late November crash in which his speeding vehicle slammed into a Wyoming home and came to rest atop an elderly man.
Rescuers used heavy equipment to free the man, who was asleep when the vehicle plowed through an outside wall and came to rest atop his bed.
Investigators estimate the car was travelling at least three times the posted speed limit prior to impact.
The driver, identified as 20-year-old Fernando Guillen-Betanco of Detroit, is in the Kent County Jail on a $150,000 bond.
He is charged with reckless driving causing serious impairment of a body function and operating on a suspended/revoked license causing serious injury. Both offenses are punishable by up to five years in prison.
According to the Michigan Secretary of State, Guillen-Betanco has six open license suspensions for offenses that include no proof of insurance, an equipment violation and impeding traffic. He had been driving on a temporary instruction permit license.
Guillen-Betanco received minor injuries in the Nov. 27 crash. He was booked into the Kent County Jail six days later.
During an appearance this week in Wyoming District Court, Guillen-Betanco waived his preliminary exam, moving the case to Kent County Circuit Court. Additional charges may be filed once a toxicology report is completed.
Investigators say Guillen-Betanco was headed east on Colrain Street SW about 1:30 a.m. at a high rate of speed when he blew through a stop sign at Clyde Park Avenue and struck a single-story home on the east side of the road.
Arriving crews heard an elderly man inside the house calling for help. Police say he was in bed when the car came through the wall, trapping him beneath. Fire crews removed part of the structure to free the man, who suffered serious injuries.
A woman who also was inside the house was not injured.
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