Minnesota man facing homicide charges after crash launched passenger into traffic

A 27-year-old Rockville, Minn., man is facing felony charges for allegedly driving drunk and crashing, throwing a 17-year-old passenger from the vehicle. The teenager then was hit by a pickup truck and died.

Aler L. Gomez-Lucas was charged this week in Benton County District Court with two felony counts of criminal vehicular homicide and one misdemeanor count of drunken driving.

According to court documents, the Minnesota State Patrol responded to a report of a rollover and a vehicle hitting a person on Hwy. 10 near Little Rock Lake at about 3:30 a.m. Aug. 11.

Gomez-Lucas reportedly was driving a Nissan Pathfinder eastbound on Hwy. 10 when the vehicle left the roadway, went into the ditch and rolled, coming to rest on its roof. A passenger, 17-year-old Nurban Ruvelsi-Perez, was thrown from the vehicle and struck by a GMC Sierra pickup.

The pickup was driven by a 20-year-old Royalton man. Officers noted minimal damage to the front of the truck, leading investigators to believe Ruvelsi-Perez was likely on the ground and incapacitated when he was hit.

A second 17-year-old passenger in the Nissan told police that Gomez-Lucas was "driving fast and lost control of the vehicle," documents state. That passenger sustained no injuries.

Officers observed a "strong odor of alcohol coming from [Gomez-Lucas], indicated that he appeared lethargic and sleepy, and that his eyes were bloodshot and watery," documents state.

A preliminary breath test showed a blood alcohol concentration of 0.178, more than two times the legal limit. Gomez-Lucas was taken to St. Cloud Hospital for serious injuries, at which time a blood sample was collected and sent to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension for analysis.

His next hearing is Aug. 29.