Man, 18, facing charges after drinking, crashing into sheriff’s office van, deputies say

One woman was injured after a suspected drunken driver struck a Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office van on Interstate 75 in North Port Tuesday night, according to the sheriff’s office.

Roberto Garcia, 18, a Mexican citizen living in Immokalee, is facing several charges after the vehicle he was driving struck a Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office animal services van on I-75 around 10 p.m., causing it to overturn several times, according to the sheriff’s office. Garcia then took off running into the woods off the interstate.

An animal services officer inside the van was taken to Sarasota Memorial Hospital North Port to be treated for a contusion to her head and lacerations on her arm, according to a probable cause affidavit. The animal services van was totaled.

There were no animals inside the van when the crash occurred.

A North Port police K-9 unit and an aviation unit assisted deputies. The K-9 tracked Garcia to the fence line, where the dog alerted. Officials in the air confirmed someone was hiding on the other side of the fence, and Garcia was taken into custody, according to the affidavit.

Deputies also found a set of car keys in Garcia’s pocket that started the vehicle that crashed into the animal services van. An empty 20-ounce beer bottle on the passenger seat of Garcia’s vehicle and he showed “obvious signs of impairment,” according to the sheriff’s office.

The affidavit states Garcia told deputies he drank one beer in the vehicle.

Garcia said he was not injured in the crash and refused medical treatment, but he told deputies his foot was sore, according to the affidavit. He had jumped over a barbed wire fence while running from the scene.

Garcia was charged with DUI with damage to property, DUI with personal injury, two counts of hit and run and driving without a valid license. He is being held in the Sarasota County Jail on bonds totaling $2,740.

This story was originally published December 14, 2017 at 1:59 PM with the headline "Man, 18, facing charges after drinking, crashing into sheriff’s office van, deputies say."