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A Nicaraguan man in the United States illegally is facing “enhanced” charges – due to his immigration status – in Florida for a drunken hit-and-run over the weekend, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.
Sheriff Grady Judd said deputies arrested Roberto Sandobal-Lopez, 34, on Saturday after he crashed his white Honda into someone’s fence in Winter Haven at around 7 p.m. and walked off.
Deputies were alerted to the crash after witnesses called the sheriff’s office to report the incident.
Sandobal-Lopez was found by law enforcement walking in the nearby area shortly after the crash and deputies determined he was intoxicated. His eyes were described as “watery” and “bloodshot,” and deputies said they could smell alcohol.
When he was asked if he had been drinking, Sandobal-Lopez allegedly said he drank six bottles of Modelo a few hours earlier at around 5 p.m. Two samples during a breath test revealed BAC levels of 0.13 and 0.124, according to the PCSO.
Field sobriety tests also showed “several signs of impairment,” the sheriff’s office said.
Sandobal-Lopez was taken to the Polk County Jail and charged with DUI with property damage, driving under the influence, leaving the scene of the crash with property damage and not having a driver’s license.
His charges have been upgraded by one degree because he is in the U.S. illegally, which makes his “DUI with property damage” charge a third-degree felony. The remaining charges are all first-degree misdemeanors.
Sheriff Grady Judd said in a Facebook post that Sandobal-Lopez will remain in jail until he is picked up by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Judd said it’s fortunate that only a fence was damaged during the drunken drive and called Sandobal-Lopez a coward for walking away from “the scene and responsibility.”
The sheriff also reiterated that being in the U.S. illegally is a crime and, in Florida, immigration status will impact the severity of criminal charges.
“In Florida, if you’re committing the crime of being here illegally, your other criminal charges are enhanced one degree; he’s now facing a serious felony because he caused damage to property while driving under the influence,” Judd said.
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