Habitual Drunk Driver Arrested Again
SELMA — A man with previous impaired driving convictions was arrested early Sunday morning after deputies reportedly found him unresponsive behind the wheel of his truck on a Johnston County highway.
Around 3:41 a.m. Jan. 11, a deputy discovered Emanuel Mercado-Santeliz, 28, of Stockbridge Drive in Selma, sitting behind the wheel in a running 2003 Dodge pickup on NC 42 East near NC 96. Officers said multiple bottles of alcohol were visible in the cab.
Mercado-Santeliz reportedly refused a breathalyzer test. Deputies later obtained a search warrant to collect a blood sample as part of the investigation.
He was charged with habitual impaired driving, open container of alcohol, and driving on a revoked license stemming from a prior impairment revocation.
Court records show Mercado-Santeliz was convicted of habitual impaired driving in 2025 following a 2024 DWI arrest in Johnston County. He also has previous impaired driving convictions in Wake County in 2024 and Durham County in 2023.
Mercado-Santeliz was taken before a magistrate and confined in the Johnston County Detention Center on a $250,000 secured bond.
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…and judges keep letting him out with impunity. Until judges are held accountable, nothing will ever change.
It’s a shame that realistically someone will likely die because of this guy before something more is done than a quick stint in jail.
He is one of those that will never learn. He won’t stop until it is too late. Incarcerate him day-for-day what the law will allow and each time he is caught behind the wheel there after… drunk or sober. Nobody has a “right” to drive upon the highways. It is merely a privilege.
How many strikes is he going to get before he kills someone? And, is he even legal?
And the truck? Not still at his disposal for next time?
I guess he keeps on getting a slap on the wrist until he kills someone.