Leandro Miranda, 23, of Oak Bluffs pleaded guilty to drunk driving, failing to stop for police, and resisting arrest Thursday in Edgartown District Court. He was sentenced to 2.5 years in a house of correction, with nine months to serve, and the balance suspended for two years of probation.
Presiding Justice H. Gregory Williams also imposed conditions of probation that include no alcohol, and no driving without a license. If he violates those conditions after his release from incarceration, he could be returned to the house of corrections to serve the full 2.5-year sentence.
Mr. Miranda has amassed a long record of serious driving offenses this year, resulting in five separate arrests. In three of those incidents, Mr. Miranda tried to flee or evade police, according to court records, including twice when he fled in his vehicle at high speeds.
The plea agreement also included guilty pleas on charges of driving without a license, driving after a suspension of license for operating under the influence of alcohol (OUI), and negligent operation of a vehicle. He was found not responsible for a marked lanes violation, and a charge of destruction of property was dismissed at the request of the prosecutor.
Judge Williams revoked probation for Mr. Miranda on an earlier conviction of drunk driving, and ordered him to serve the 60-day sentence that was suspended as part of a plea agreement on August 10. The court also sentenced him to 60 days in a house of correction for an earlier conviction of driving after a license suspension for OUI. Both sentences are to be served concurrently with the longer sentence. Mr. Miranda, held without bail since his August 10 arraignment on the latest charges will get credit for 47 days already served in jail.
Although U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was notified shortly after the Brazilian national’s first arrest on March 2, according to a police report, there is no record of any action taken by federal authorities, until August 28, following his fifth arrest. ICE then issued a detainee order, requiring local authorities to hold Mr. Miranda in custody for 48 hours once his jail sentence and any other court proceedings are finished. According to the detainee order, ICE has “determined that there is reason to believe the individual is an alien subject to removal from the United States.”
ICE did not respond to repeated calls seeking more information about Mr. Miranda’s immigration status.
