POLK COUNTY, Fla. – Polk County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrested a 22-year-old Colombian national Saturday on Interstate 4 following a traffic stop involving high speeds and impaired driving.
According to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, members of the Sheriff’s Office Traffic Unit were conducting speed enforcement along I-4 when they spotted a red Kia K4 weaving through traffic. Radar equipment registered the vehicle traveling 101 mph in a designated 70 mph zone. Deputies noted that the erratic driving forced surrounding motorists to brake abruptly and maneuver away to avoid collisions.
After pulling the vehicle over, the stopping deputy observed signs of impairment from the driver, identified as Jhorland Atehortua. A search of the Kia turned up marijuana and a smoking pipe.
Atehortua was arrested and booked into the Polk County Jail. He faces charges of driving under the influence, dangerous excessive speed, reckless driving, possession of cannabis, and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Authorities noted that because Atehortua is in the United States illegally, each charge carries a one-degree enhancement under state law. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has placed a detainer hold on him.
“Driving under the influence is dangerous enough, but combining impaired driving with reckless speeding at more than 100 miles per hour puts countless innocent people at risk,” Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said in a statement. “Our deputies stopped this suspect before someone was seriously hurt or killed. Now he’ll face the consequences of his actions, and because he’s in this country illegally, ICE has placed a hold on him as well.”
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