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HILL AIR FORCE BASE -- The man who authorities say crashed through the south gate at Hill Air Force Base early Wednesday morning has not told them why he did it. But new details are emerging about the accused intruder, including his identity and troubled past.
Forty-year-old Teofilo Quintana remains in jail tonight, facing federal charges that include destruction of property and unlawful entry into a military installation. Court documents indicate this isn't the first time he has been in trouble with the law.
Quinatana was stopped by an officer just after 4 a.m. Wednesday at the base's south gate. He appeared confused and said he had made a wrong turn. He was asked for ID and said he didn't have one.
Quintana was then asked to remain in the car, and that's when he rammed his 1997 Ford Expedition into steel barriers known as bollards. He fled the car and was caught six hours later.
"If you can picture Hill Air Force Base, we do have a road that goes around the perimeter of the base. He was on the far-east side, and he was walking dazed and confused," said Lt. Col. Tony Maisonet, chief of security forces for the 75th Security Forces Squadron.
According to court documents, the car Quintana was driving was stolen on Monday. Police say he told them he entered the base to try to avoid being arrested.
"We did find all kinds of identification in there, false identification. It appears he's obtained some other people's IDs, Social Security numbers, ID cards. I don't know how he's using them, but there's potential for identity theft there," Maisonet said.
KSL News searched court records online and found Quintana has been in and out of prison for much of the past decade, including a pair of federal cases involving mail theft.
Quintana, who has several aliases, returned to federal prison after violating his parole. He also has convictions for attempting to assault a police officer, violation of a protective order, forgery and failure to stop at the command of police.
Quintana will make his first appearance in federal court in a couple of weeks. If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison.
E-mail: jdaley@ksl.com.
E-mail: jdaley@ksl.com.
