Polk County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrested 57 people for Driving Under the Influence of alcohol and/or drugs last month.
One of the drivers arrested picked up his 3rd DUI.
Of these arrests, 13 of them were involved in traffic crashes. Two of those involved in crashes had a child in the car with them (and they were charged with child neglect for that as well).
Erasmo Rodriguez was involved in a crash in May, but wasn’t arrested until August 13th after the PCSO’s Traffic Homicide investigation determined that Erasmo was driving under the influence of alcohol at 117 mph when he crashed. A female passenger in his car died as a result.
Francisco LaPierre was also arrested for DUI following a crash, although his crash was minor. But when a deputy arrived at the scene, he noticed LaPierre had an ankle monitor on. The reason for the monitor was because LaPierre was on pre-trial release for leaving the scene of a crash on September 28, 2025, in which a 21-year-old Winter Haven woman was killed.
And finally, 5 of the 57 arrested last month were found to be in the United States illegally and had an ICE hold placed on them.
These 57 arrests were PCSO arrests only, and do not include arrests in Polk County made by any of the city police departments or the Florida Highway Patrol.
If you see someone who appears to be driving while impaired, please call 9-1-1 immediately.
