- Gabriel Manuel Gutierrez, 20, crashed into a church and is now facing DUI charges.
- Gutierrez's license was revoked; he was on probation until Oct. 22.
- He has a history of traffic violations and previous domestic violence convictions, court records show.
SALT LAKE CITY — After a car crashed into a church building on Sunday night, the driver is now facing DUI and property damage charges.
Gabriel Manuel Gutierrez, 20, was arrested Sunday night after police said he drove his car into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints building on 3120 W. 4700 South in West Valley City. A police booking affidavit stated Gutierrez was driving a car with his ex-girlfriend sitting in the passenger seat. The arresting officer spoke with both of them.
"They'd gotten into an argument over them texting other people, and there was a grappling over phones in the car," the officer wrote.
Gutierrez told the officer he had two phones on his lap. He grabbed one of them and threw it out of the window, but told the officer he didn't know it was his ex-girlfriend's, the affidavit states. It was later found on the roadway, cracked and inoperable.
Gutierrez told the officer his ex-girlfriend grabbed the steering wheel at that point and drove them into the church, police said.
"The girlfriend denied having done this and stated she did not know how they ended up in the church," the officer wrote. "Based on different statements and no evidence to show what happened, I was unable to substantiate (Gutierrez's) claim that the girlfriend steered them into the church, rather than him losing control of the vehicle."
The ex-girlfriend told the officer she and Gutierrez had been drinking and that between 1 p.m. and 5 p.m., he had consumed almost an entire bottle of whisky by himself, the affidavit states. She further told the officer that the empty bottle should be inside the car, but it could not be located.
The arresting officer observed physical clues indicating Gutierrez may have been impaired, according to the statement, and further found his license had been revoked. Gutierrez was also not of the legal age to drink.
Gutierrez was charged Monday in 3rd District Court with property damage, a class A misdemeanor; driving under the influence, purchasing, possessing or consuming alcohol as a minor, and being an alcohol-restricted driver, class B misdemeanors; and driving on a suspended or revoked license, a class C misdemeanor.
Criminal history
According to court records, Gutierrez was convicted of at least 10 traffic violations within a two-year time frame leading up to Sunday's crash — including failure to stop at the command of police in 2024, a third-degree felony. The charge was amended to a class A misdemeanor in a plea agreement, and Gutierrez was placed on probation until Oct. 22.
Sunday's police booking affidavit further references a previous domestic violence conviction Gutierrez had, of which KSL-TV obtained court records.
In January, Gutierrez was found guilty of a class A misdemeanor count for violating a protective order, although it is not known who filed it against him. Two other charges were dismissed in the case earlier this year.
Gutierrez pleaded guilty to another charge connected to that case for criminal trespass of a dwelling, with the intent to annoy, cause injury, fear or commit a crime — a class C misdemeanor. Another protective order was proposed in the case, and his probation was extended to Feb. 28, 2026.
