Bel Air Driver Charged With DWI Faces Deportation: Report

ROME, NY — A Bel Air resident accused of driving drunk in New York may now be deported, according to reports. The Maryland driver was arrested in Oneida County, located in central New York state.

Shashikantbhai Patel, 41, of Bel Air, was charged with DWI, having an open container and driving the wrong way, according to The Post-Standard, a newspaper in Syracuse, New York.

Patel had an open container in the Toyota Camry when he was stopped, according to the newspaper, which reported firefighters set up a roadblock to stop the driver from continuing to go the wrong way on a state road.

Once Patel was taken into custody by the Oneida County Sheriff's Office, authorities said federal officials stepped in; Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials placed a detainer on Patel, who may be deported, according to WSYR-TV, a television station out of Syracuse, New York.

Records with the Oneida County Sheriff's Office show that Patel was booked Friday and remains incarcerated on a charge of aggravated DWI.

Patch file photo by Renee Schiavone.