PORT ALLEN - Officials say a man who disappeared after his vehicle crashed into a ditch during severe flooding in May is now facing charges.

Investigators believe Alfredo Rojas Alvarado was driving on LA 415 the night of May 17 when his vehicle crashed.

There were two passengers in the car. One of the passengers escaped, but the other passenger, 40-year-old Hermelindo Morentes of Port Allen, died trapped inside the submerged vehicle.

Witnesses said Alvarado did not resurface. In the following days, crews searched the canal but were unable to locate him.

On June 15, nearly a month after the crash, Alvarado showed up at Louisiana State Police Troop A with a lawyer and translator.

Alvarado told deputies he was pulled into the culvert below LA 415 and was able to swim to the bank of the ditch. Alvarado said he did not speak to first responders because he was driving without a license and feared being deported to Guatemala as punishment.

Alvarado walked to his home along River Road that night and contacted his lawyer several days later.

Alvarado received a felony charge for a hit and run and two misdemeanor charges for careless operation and not having a license.