Tag: nashville nightlife

DUI: Jovani Gonzalez blows .262% BAC after being found passed out drunk in his car

Brodie Martin

28-year-old Jovani Gonzalez was found sleeping in his car at the Chase Bank parking lot late on April 28th. When officers arrived, they found Gonzalez asleep in his vehicle with the keys in the ignition and the vehicle in drive. Officers could not wake him even after numerous attempts, so paramedics were contacted. A paramedic was able to put the car in park and wake Gonzalez with a sternum rub. Officers then made contact with Gonzalez and noticed a strong smell of alcohol coming from his person. While speaking to Gonzalez, officers saw a closed 750ml bottle of 1800 Tequila on the passenger side floor, along with another empty beer bottle. According to officers, about 15 empty beer bottles were in the truck bed. When asked how much alcohol he had consumed, Gonzalez stated, “Three to four beers,” leading to the request for some field sobriety tests. Gonzalez consented to the sobriety tests but ended up performing poorly. Gonzalez performed a breathalyzer test with the final result being a .262% BAC. Gonzalez was asked for his driver’s license but told officers that he didn’t have one or any other form of identification. Jovani Gonzalez was taken into custody and charged with driving under the influence, driving without a driver’s license, and possessing an open alcohol container.

Darrell Payne sexually assaults woman in tent, says she came in his tent to “Get warm”

E.Z Emerson

52-year-old Darrell Payne inappropriately touched a female on April 21st. She alerted the authorities, advising them she went to Payne’s tent to hang out. She stated this is where Payne put his hands up her shirt, groping her breasts, to which she told him to stop. Then, Payne put his hands down her pants and rubbed her vagina over her underwear. In response to this, she pushed Payne away and left the tent. Officers then Mirandized Payne, under which he stated she came to his tent to “get warm” and that she got in his bed for that purpose. He added that any “contact with her intimate parts” was accidental. Payne told officers that he thought of her as a daughter and would never “sexually assault” her. He later disclosed that he is on the sex offender registry due to similar allegations. Officers conducted a follow-up and discovered he had pleaded guilty to a domestic abuse-related sexual battery in Rutherford County. Payne was taken into custody for sexual battery on May 2nd.

Brayan Escobar jailed after attacking man with his father

E.Z Emerson

27-year-old Brayan Escobar was taken into custody for aggravated robbery on May 3rd. On May 2nd, David Ray McCormick told the police that he was driving his truck down Roosevelt Avenue toward Gallatin Pike North when he stopped at the stop sign. McCormick stated a small silver sedan pulled up in front of him, cutting him off. Then, he said, two male Hispanics, later identified as Escobar and his father, exited the car and approached him, trying to open the door, during which they started attacking him. This forced McCormick to defend himself during the altercation. McCormick said one of the men picked up a large brick and threw it at him, hitting his chest and leaving a large abrasion and several bruises. McCormick added that they pulled his keys from his truck and tried to take his wallet and phone. Video footage from a nearby store captured the incident, corroborating McCormick’s statements.

While officers assisted McCormick, Escobar and his father flagged officers down near Gallatin Pike South, requesting medical assistance for a stab wound. They were transported to Skyline Hospital, where Escobar provided a statement of how his father was stabbed. While speaking with officers, Escobar described the location and aspects of McCormick’s identity as well as providing a picture of his car’s tag. McCormick later admitted to defending himself with a 10-inch piece of rebar to fight them off but stated he did not believe he stabbed anyone. Escobar and his father were deemed the primary aggressors. Escobar was then detained for the incident.

Travis Odom strangles girlfriend until she passes out

E.Z Emerson

24-year-old Travis Odom was taken into custody for vandalism, aggravated kidnapping, and assault on May 2nd. On May 1st, around 11 p.m., officers arrived at 909 Flats Apartments, where they located Odom, who was sitting on the steps in front of the leasing office, bleeding from his nose, crying hysterically and highly intoxicated. While Odom was getting medically evaluated in the ambulance, officers spoke with Javier Nunez, who advised them that he was on the couch in the leasing office when Odom and his girlfriend, Claudia Rehg, approached him. Nunez said he observed Odom pulling her into the apartment complex, telling her they were going to his apartment while she was saying, “No” and “Please, let go,” before frantically asking Nunez to call the police.

While Nunez was alerting the authorities, Odom punched him in the face, chipping his tooth and leaving visible swelling, during which Rehg ran away from the office, attempting to get away from Odom, who then chased her out the front door. Rehg fled near 10th Avenue North and Rev. Dr. Enoch Boulevard, where she spoke with officers, advising them that she and Odom had been romantically involved for two months. She explained that they were on Broadway and used a rideshare to return to Odom’s apartment. When they arrived, Rehg asked if they could go back to Broadway so she could gather some belongings from her vehicle, which they had parked downtown. She said this made Odom angry and he hit her in the back of the head repeatedly, threw her against a concrete wall, and strangled her, causing her to lose consciousness.

She was then transported to Vanderbilt Hospital for medical attention. Officers reviewed security camera footage from the parking garage, showing Odom holding Rehg in a “chokehold” and dragging her into the garage while she tried pulling away from him, hitting his back, trying to get out of his grasp. Rehg fell to the ground as her body went limp, lying there for about 15 seconds without any movement. Odom stood over her while she rolled onto her back and lay there for another 40 seconds before helping her up and carrying her to the apartment complex entrance. Once they got to the stairs, Rehg started pulling and running away toward the parking garage exit, where she found Nunez in the leasing office. When officers spoke with Odom, he said, “I plead the fifth,” and, “I plead the fourth,” refusing to speak with them. He was then taken into custody.

Robert Tarter pretends to walk in front of patrol car, tells officers he’s in Kentucky

E.Z Emerson

60-year-old Robert Tarter caused a disturbance near IMT Germantown on 3rd Avenue North in the early hours of May 1st. When officers arrived, they located him standing on the sidewalk, yelling after he acted like he was about to step in front of their patrol car while it was moving. Then, officers spoke with Tarter, who claimed he was in Louisville, Kentucky, and showed numerous signs of impairment. Tarter told officers he had taken some new medication, which was not mixing well with the alcohol he consumed. Tarter was deemed a danger to himself and others and was taken into custody for public intoxication.

Hector Gonzales-Lopez caught with various drugs in his trap house

E.Z Emerson

34-year-old Hector Alberto Gonzales-Lopez was stopped in a vehicle near his residence on January 5th, 2023. During the traffic stop, officers located a trap house in the engine bay area containing 183 grams of Fentanyl and 42 grams of meth. When officers executed a search warrant on Hector’s home, where they discovered 123 grams of Fentanyl, 5 grams of cocaine, 49 Oxycodone pills, 5 grams of meth, and $4,222 cash. On January 8th, 2024, officers obtained warrants for his arrest. Gonzales-Lopez was taken into custody for three counts of felony possession on May 2nd, 2024.

Terrence Caldwell violates order of protection at Vanderbilt Medical Center

E.Z Emerson

52-year-old Terrence Montorio Caldwell had a domestic incident with his girlfriend, Marquella Oden, at Vanderbilt Medical Center on April 29th. Medics advised Caldwell not to return after causing the disturbance. Then, on May 1st, VUPD officers spoke with the medical staff, who stated Caldwell was walking around, looking for Oden. Officers located Caldwell on the 4th floor, where he told them that the medics never told him to leave. Caldwell added that he was only there to see Oden and their new child. Then, officers discovered he had an active order of protection against him out of Maury County from Oden on December 5th, 2023. Caldwell was then taken into custody for a no contact order violation.

DUI: Rudi Guarchaj-Castillo ignores officers while driving without a license on I-24 East

E.Z Emerson

25-year-old Rudi Guarchaj-Castillo was caught driving under the influence and without his license near I-24 East on April 29th. While officers were investigating a motor incident, they blocked all traffic. Despite this, Castillo failed to listen to officers while in his vehicle. Officers then approached Castillo, and he rolled his window down. Officers immediately noticed Castillo’s watery eyes and asked him to leave the car. After Castillo exited the vehicle, officers noticed the smell of alcohol. Officers asked Castillo to do Sobriety tests, which he agreed to and performed poorly on. Officers took Castillo into custody, and when they tried to verify his information, it was discovered that he did not have a valid driver’s license. Castillo was charged with DUI and driving without his license.

Trenell Hunter arrested for an outstanding warrant from California

E.Z Emerson

37-year-old Trenell Hunter was taken into custody for being a fugitive from justice without a warrant on May 1st. The US Marshals Task Force located Hunter at his Hillside Flats apartment and detained him for having an outstanding warrant out of California with full extradition, which was confirmed via NCIC.

Kevin Sinclair deemed too drunk for Nashville International Airport

Ke'Shaun Witherspoon

32-year-old Kevin Sinclair was seen drunk by police at Nashville International Airport on April 27th. When officers arrived, they spoke with staff at Tootsie’s bar in the airport terminal. They stated that Sinclair had been kicked out of one bar and was refused service at Tootsie’s. They then pointed Sinclair out, and when officers spoke with him, he stated he had missed his flight because he was at a bar. Officers noticed his slurred speech and inability to stand. Officers then gave him multiple chances to book an Uber and provided an address to an available hotel. Sinclair proceeded to type the wrong address and instead typed in a location in South Carolina. Officers deemed Sinclair was too intoxicated to care for himself, and he was taken into custody for public intoxication.