An unlicensed teen from Guatemala with 30 bottles of beer in his truck was arrested after hit-and-run crashes in Lady Lake.
Erwin Nehemias Lopez-Lopez, 19, was tracked down Sunday night at his home on Brandy Court in Lady Lake upon his release from Ocala Regional Medical Center, where he had been treated for injuries suffered in the series of crashes.
He had been driving a tan 2012 Chevrolet Silverado Saturday night on U.S. Hwy. 27/441 approaching Griffin View Drive when he struck a 2002 Ford Taurus which was stopped at a red light at the intersection, according to an arrest report from the Lady Lake Police Department. The driver was injured, but Lopez-Lopez kept driving and hit a utility pole. He then re-entered the roadway away striking a gray 2021 Nissan Versa. The violence of that crash forced the Nissan Versa off the roadway.
Lopez-Lopez tried to flee but could not do so due to the disabling damage sustained by his vehicle.
Lake EMS responded to the scene and transported the other drivers to local hospitals. Lopez-Lopez was transported to the hospital in Ocala. A Spanish-speaking medic indicated that Lopez-Lopez admitted he “had many alcoholic beverages.” Lopez-Lopez had a Guatemalan identification card. He did not possess an American driver’s license.
An inventory of his truck revealed “30 open empty Modelo beer bottles,” the report said.
He was arrested on charges of leaving the scene of an accident, no driver’s license and reckless driving. He was booked at the Lake Count Jail and released after posting $9,500 bond.
