Sarasota man arrested in pair of hit-and-run crashes

A Sarasota man was arrested in connection with two hit-and-run crashes in Sarasota County earlier this month.

Jorge A. Martinez, 48, was charged with driving while license suspended, careless driving, failing to immediately report a crash, failing to provide insurance and two counts of leaving the scene when he was arrested Tuesday, according to Florida Highway Patrol.

On June 17, FHP investigated a vehicle crash on Interstate 75 that left two people with minor injuries, where the at-fault driver, alleged to be Martinez, fled the scene, according to FHP.

The crash between Martinez’s 2011 Chevrolet Cruz and a 2016 Chevrolet Tahoe occurred just before 10:30 a.m. June 17 on Interstate 75 when Martinez attempted to change lanes and allegedly struck the right rear of the Tahoe. The impact caused the Tahoe to travel into the grass median and strike a tree.

Martinez was involved in a second crash that damaged two other vehicles on University Parkway near Cattleman Road. He again fled the scene, according to FHP.

“As a result of an exhaustive investigation, the at-fault driver was located and subsequently arrested,” FHP announced in a release on Martinez’s arrest Wednesday.

There were more than 99,000 hit-and-run crashes in in Florida in 2016, according to FHP, who reminded motorists Florida law requires a driver to stop at the scene of a crash in the release. Leaving the scene of a crash that involves injury or death could result in a felony charge where, if convicted, the driver could face prison time, a fine and revocation of their license.

This story was originally published June 28, 2017 at 4:35 PM with the headline "Sarasota man arrested in pair of hit-and-run crashes."