10/04/2026
**PRESS RELEASE**
On October 1, 2026, at approximately 1:37 p.m., Hickman County Dispatch received a report of a vehicle that had struck a telephone pole in the 300 block of South Washington Street within the city limits of Clinton. After striking the pole, the vehicle reportedly fled the scene.
Officers with the Clinton Police Department and deputies with the Hickman County Sheriff’s Office responded. Through evidence located at the scene and information provided by witnesses, law enforcement was able to determine the make and model of the vehicle believed to have been involved.
The vehicle was later located under a carport in the 100 block of Waterfield Drive in Clinton. The occupants were subsequently located at a residence in the 500 block of Waterfield Drive.
The operator of the vehicle was identified as Brayan Coronel Lopez. Lopez was cited by the Clinton Police Department for No Operator’s License and Leaving the Scene of an Accident. The passenger was identified as Lucio Marquez Ramirez, who was also cited by the Clinton Police Department.
Deputies with the Hickman County Sheriff’s Office subsequently arrested Lopez and Ramirez on alleged immigration violations after confirming they are in the country illegally.
During the investigation, law enforcement located an appliance in the bed of the vehicle that was suspected of having been stolen from Lowe’s Home Improvement in Mayfield, Kentucky. The Mayfield Police Department, which had an active investigation related to the incident, was notified, and investigators responded to the scene.
Following interviews with the vehicle’s occupants and the vehicle’s owner, identified as Jehu Ortiz-Tomas, The Hickman County Sheriff’s Office obtained and executed three separate search warrants at residences owned by Jehu Ortiz-Tomas. During the ex*****on of those warrants, additional appliances suspected of being stolen were recovered.
During the investigation, officers also encountered an individual identified as Vincente Diaz Gomez inside one of the residences. Gomez allegedly provided officers with false names and was found to be in possession of suspected illegal narcotics and suspected fraudulent identification cards. Authorities also determined that Gomez was unlawfully present in the United States and had five prior deportations.
During the ex*****on of a search warrant at the residence of Jehu Ortiz-Tomas, law enforcement recovered a quantity of suspected narcotics, along with a machine believed to be commonly used in the production of identification cards.
Jehu Ortiz-Tomas and Zulma Albores Tomayo were subsequently arrested by the Kentucky State Police.
This remains an active and ongoing multi-agency investigation, and additional charges are possible as the investigation continues.
The Hickman County Sheriff’s Office was assisted during this investigation by the Clinton Police Department, Mayfield Police Department, Hickman Police Department, Kentucky State Police, and the Office of Homeland Security.
