Polk County Sheriff’s Office Press Release
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office conducted a Memorial Day Traffic Initiative from Saturday, May 24th through Monday, May 26th, resulting in 11 arrests, six of which were for DUI, and 4 of whom are in the country illegally.
Jose Cruz, a 32-year-old man from Lakeland, was arrested on May 24th after a blue Chevrolet was seen weaving and drifting on Reynolds Road in Lakeland at 1:38 a.m. A traffic stop was conducted, where Cruz was found to have slurred speech, watery eyes, and a strong odor of alcohol was detected. He admitted to drinking four to five beers and his breath alcohol level measured .180, over twice the legal limit. Cruz did not have a valid driver’s license or ID and admitted to being in the country illegally from Mexico, which led to upgraded charges. Cruz was charged with:
• DUI (M1)
• Driving without a valid driver’s license (M1)
Francisco Hernandez, 50, of Fort Meade, was arrested on May 24th at 9:19pm following a traffic stop on Broadway Street East at Hendry Ave after deputies observed a vehicle traveling with no headlights on. Hernandez advised he had no driver’s license, presenting only a Mexican passport. Deputies observed that he had watery eyes, detected a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage, and noted that he could not keep his balance. Hernandez admitted to drinking 12 beers. During a breathalyzer test, his breath alcohol content was measured at .260, more than three times the legal limit. He advised he was in the country illegally from Mexico and has remained in Polk County unlawfully since 2010, which upgraded his charges. He was charged with:
• DUI (M1)
• Driving without a valid driver’s license (M1)
Leobardo Armenta-Marcial, 40, of Lake Wales, was arrested on May 25th at 9:13pm on Alturas Babson Park Cutoff Road in Lake Wales after deputies responded to reports of a possible vehicle crash. Armenta-Marcial was located further down the road walking by himself and appearing to be dirty, disoriented, and intoxicated. His vehicle had struck a guardrail, causing heavy damage. In the front passenger floorboard, deputies found empty opened alcohol containers. Armenta-Marcial initially claimed he was not the one driving, but said that he recognized the car as being a family member’s, and then ultimately admitted to crashing the vehicle claiming that something went into the road in front of him. His boots were covered in dirt, matching footprints found near the scene of the crash, and he did not have a valid driver’s license. He refused to take the field sobriety test or breathalyzer test. He has 4 prior guilty convictions for DUIs and has been previously deported due to being in the country illegally.
He was charged with:
• Leaving the scene of a crash (M2)
• Driving without a valid driver’s license (M2)
• DUI 4th or subsequent (F2)
Guilherme Moreno, 32, of Orlando was arrested on May 26th following a routine traffic stop due to an expired registration. Moreno provided a paper from the DMV and a picture of his driver’s license, but upon further investigation, deputies learned his license had been cancelled in March due to his non-US citizen status. It was discovered that Moreno was in the country illegally from Brazil, which upgraded his charges. Moreno was given a citation for the expired registration but arrested and charged with having no valid driver’s license (M1).
All suspects were placed on an ICE hold in the Polk County Jail.
“If you drive drunk in Polk County, we will arrest you, and if you’re here illegally, we will turn you over to ICE. Our deputies worked hard this weekend to keep our roads safe—and we’ll keep doing it every day.” – Grady Judd, Sheriff
