Worthington man charged with perjury

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WORTHINGTON — A man who told authorities he came to Worthington in 2004 and bought an identity is facing two felony-level perjury charges for using the false information in court.

Diego Canil Morales, 32, of Worthington, has been using the identity of Luis Angel Rosaly-Aponte, 31, since he bought the ID for $400 from an unknown Latino man who worked with him on a farm in the area. Morales said he received a temporary loan of a birth certificate and Social Security card, which he used to get a Minnesota ID card.

He later applied for and received a Minnesota driver’s license.

According to the complaint, Morales was arrested for driving while intoxicated (DWI) in mid-April. Because of that arrest, he had contact with an Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent, who ran Morales’ fake name of Rosaly-Aponte and discovered the real owner of that name resides in Puerto Rico.

Ironically, it took eight encounters with law enforcement before the false ID was discovered. Under the name Rosaly-Aponte, Morales was cited in January 2005 for no Minnesota driver’s license, and in March 2005 for violating his instructor permit.

Both violations occurred in Nobles County. He was cited for speeding in Jackson County in May 2007, and 20 days later arrested for his first DWI charge in Nobles County.

According to Minnesota’s online court document filing system, Morales, still under his false name, pleaded guilty to trespassing and disorderly conduct in June 2009.

He was given a 60-day jail sentence, again stayed on the condition he serve a year of probation.

In October 2010, Morales was charged with terroristic threats, interfering with an emergency call and two counts of domestic assault.

The complaint states authorities responded to a report of a man with a knife. Upon arrival at the scene, they found a woman who was bruised, soaking wet and crying.

She said her husband was still inside with their three children and a knife, and that he had tried to drown her and kill her with the knife.

An officer covering the back of the trailer house looked through a window and saw the man holding the knife.

As the officer watched, the man set the knife down on a window sill. Another officer knocked at the front door, and kicked in the door when there was no answer.

The suspect appeared in the hallway, but refused to show his hands or to lie down on the floor. He was eventually tased when he didn’t comply with orders, and resisted arrest.

At the law enforcement center, he was found to have a blood alcohol concentration of .20 percent. He told authorities he wanted to take a shower with his wife, but she refused because he had been drinking.

He denied threatening anyone with a knife. He pleaded guilty to domestic assault and was sentenced May 3, 2011, to 90 days in jail, stayed on the condition he have a chemical dependency and domestic abuse evaluation and serve one year probation.

On April 13 of this year, Morales was arrested at 6 p.m. for DWI after a report of a vehicle weaving all over the road alerted authorities.

When an officer pulled him over, Morales got out of his car and fell into a ditch.

He then failed his field sobriety tests. He told the officer he had consumed six beers, but the officers found a 12-pack box with only one full can inside.

There were 10 empty cans in the vehicle, and one less than half full near the driver’s seat.

Morales blew a preliminary breath test of .229 alcohol concentration.

He has since pleaded guilty to DWI and is scheduled to be sentenced June 22.

A search warrant was executed April 16 at his home, where authorities found Morales’ wife and three children.

Out on bail, he appeared a short time later and was asked for his Guatemalan passport.

He allegedly took a legal envelope from a shelf in a closet. The envelope contained a passport issued in the Morales name, along with a Guatemalan ID card and birth certificate, both in the name Morales.

Authorities seized four Minnesota driver’s licenses — two expired and two active — and two documents written in Spanish that Morales said were written by the mayor of his village regarding conditions there.

They found a Premium Iowa Park employee ID and a Farmland employee card, both with the name Rosaly-Aponte. Minnesota license plates from a vehicle registered to Rosaly-Aponte were also seized.

During a discussion at the law enforcement center, Morales allegedly admitted he had used his false identity during court proceedings and knew it was against the law to use the ID of another person.

Morales was granted a public defender Friday and is scheduled to make his initial appearance on the perjury charges May 29 in Nobles County District Court.

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