WINTER HAVEN, Fla. – A man is back in custody after a Tuesday afternoon fender-bender spiraled into a series of felony charges and an ICE detainer.
The incident began around 4:40 p.m. on February 10, 2026, when a woman flagged down Polk County deputies on Rifle Range Road, reporting that her vehicle had just been rear-ended by a burgundy Nissan Frontier.
According to investigators, the victim told deputies that the driver, later identified as 39-year-old Jose Obregon Salgado, hopped out of his truck and begged her not to call the police. A female passenger in the Nissan reportedly made the same plea. When the victim informed them she was already on the phone with 911, the pair jumped back into the truck and sped away.
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The victim managed to provide a license plate number, which led deputies straight to a home on Ridgeview East. There, they found the Nissan Frontier tucked away in the backyard, partially concealed under a tarp.
When deputies knocked on the front door, Salgado reportedly tried to retreat back into the house but was quickly apprehended. The victim later positively identified him as the driver from the crash.
Salgado now faces a string of charges, including tampering with evidence, resisting arrest, leaving the scene of a crash, and driving without a valid license. Because of Salgado’s status as an illegal immigrant, authorities confirmed that each of these charges has been enhanced by one degree. An ICE detainer has since been placed on him at the Polk County Jail.
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Records show this isn’t Salgado’s first run-in with local law enforcement; he was previously arrested in 2024 for driving without a license.
“If this suspect had just remained at the scene, he would have been arrested and charged with no valid DL, and given a traffic citation for the crash,” said Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd. “Now he’s facing two felonies and other serious charges because he chose to run, attempted to hide the evidence, and resisted law enforcement.”
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