The man accused of murdering a Maryland woman, who was reported missing last month, faced charges related to drunk driving, according to incident reports and other documents obtained by 7News. Law enforcement officers did not mention his immigration status in those documents.
Hugo Hernandez-Mendez, 35, is facing charges of first- and second-degree murder of 19-year-old Dacara Thompson, police said Friday.
Hernandez-Mendez had a D.C. driver’s license issued in 2015 that he showed to officers during his arrest on April 25, 2025, at the Baltimore-Washington Parkway, north of MD Route 450 in Bladensburg, Maryland, according to U.S. Park Police documents obtained by 7News.
The documents also showed that in April, Hernandez-Mendez provided a Social Security number and said he lived in Bowie, Maryland. The charges in the documents showed that his license was suspended.
An officer pulled over Hernandez-Mendez around 1:52 a.m. on April 25. Hernandez-Mendez gave the officer a “valid D.C. driver’s license” that showed a license number, according to the documents.
Non-U.S. citizens can get a D.C. DMV driver’s license if they meet requirements for REAL ID, proof of identity, Social Security, D.C. residency, and legal presence, according to the D.C. DMV website.
Hernandez-Mendez was driving a black SUV during his April arrest. He also was driving a black SUV that connected him to the murder of Dacara Thompson on Aug. 23, police said Friday.
Hernandez-Mendez was charged with the following:
- Driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs
- Operating a vehicle with a blood alcohol content (BAC)
- An open container of alcoholic beverage in a vehicle
- Operating a vehicle without due care
- Failure to comply with the directions of a traffic control device, parking signs, marking or directions
- Unsafe lane changing
- Person driving motor vehicle on highway on suspended license and privilege
- Reckless driving
- Negligent driving