Carthage man charged with felony DWI following head-on crash on 171, ICE notified

 

A Carthage man is being held on a $50,000 cash-only bond on a felony driving while intoxicated charge following a head-on crash on 171 in Carl Junction.

Online Jasper County Circuit Court documents indicate ICE was notified since Merido Juarez Hunan (DOB 1997), a native of Guatemala, did not have a valid license and is not an American citizen.

Huinac was also charged with.a second felony- tampering with physical evidence and three misdemeanors- failure to drive on the right side of the roadway, no insurance and no valid license.

From the probable cause statement:

On 01/21/2026, at approximately 2241 hours, a witness called 911 to report that a head-on motor vehicle crash occurred at Highway 171 and Route Z and that both drivers appeared to be injured.

Upon arrival, I observed a silver Dodge Caravan stopped in the middle of the roadway on Highway 171 and a silver Jeep Grand Cherokee stopped in the ditch to the West of Highway 171.

The driver of the Dodge Caravan was identified as Merido Juarez Huinac. The driver of the Jeep Grand Cherokee was identified as James Nible. James sustained an injury to his forehead and was transported to Mercy Joplin via METS to be treated for injuries.

Helms Cisne stated that he observed the Dodge Caravan cross over the double-yellow center line and cause the crash. Austin Wilson stated that he followed the Dodge Caravan from the intersection
of Demott and Fir Road. The vehicle committed several lane violations and they believed he could've been on a cellular device.

Austin observed Merido collide with the other vehicle. He then attempted to leave, but the damage sustained to his vehicle prevented him. There was 163'4'' of skid marks that were caused by the front left of Merido's vehicle after he attempted to get away.

Witness 2 then observed Merido throwing a bag out the window and a couple small objects.

In the bag, I located alcohol that was empty. I then found two beer cans on the side of the road, next to the vehicle. They matched the same brand (Modelo) as the beer car in the driver's cup holder. The driver had 1/4 of the can left full, cold to the touch.

Merido was contacted at Freeman Hospital where he was read implied consent. His BAC from his blood sample was 0.13 percent. I read Merida his Miranda Warnings, using a translator from AMN Healthcare Language Services. He advised he understood his rights, then he answered my questions. While reading the AIRs form, he admitted to consuming alcohol and then operating the motor vehicle. He admitted to drinking five beers, which was how many were located on the scene.

The probable cause statement also said that Huinac poses a threat to the community, because he "knowingly drove a motor vehicle with no license, no insurance, all while in an intoxicated condition. He blatantly disregarded safety for the public and caused a collision that could have been fatal."

He did not show remorse or apologize for the incident. Instead, he requested help to return to Guatemala.