37°
Felix Daniel Ortiz Jr., 42, was charged with DUI-Controlled Substance, Criminal Trespass, DUS-DUI Related, Accident-Damage Attended, Reckless Driving, Unauthorized Use of a Vehicle, and other offenses. The incident unfolded on Nov. 4 in the 400 block of Atkins Avenue.
Officers were initially on the scene investigating a suspicious person report when they heard a loud crash, police said. They found a vehicle crashed into the front of an occupied residence, running and in drive, but unoccupied. A witness reported seeing a man flee the crash site, according to the police statement.
Ortiz, identified by officers from an earlier encounter where he was allegedly running nude and under the influence of PCP, was later seen driving a different vehicle. Police conducted a traffic stop and detained him. Two additional victims approached officers, reporting that a man matching Ortiz’s description had attempted to enter their home. Ring camera footage of the incident was provided to authorities.
Ortiz reportedly admitted at the police station to driving the crashed vehicle while under the influence of a substance he had soaked into cigarettes. He claimed he exited the moving vehicle due to hallucinations and attempted to seek help by trying to enter a nearby residence. Ortiz allegedly took a relative’s vehicle to return to the scene and retrieve the crashed car, police said.
Ortiz was taken into custody and committed to Lancaster County Prison on Nov. 5. A criminal complaint was filed, and charges are pending further court proceedings.
He has a lengthy criminal record for DUI, drugs, theft, criminal use of communication facility, open lewdness, criminal trespass, breaking and entering, an numerous related offenses going back over 20 years with several cases still active in the commonwealth, court records show.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Palmyra and receive free news updates.
