An unlicensed driver from Mexico has entered a plea after a drunk driving arrest in a crash earlier this month on U.S. 301.
This week in Marion County Court, 34-year-old Salvador Gomez Hernandez of Fruitland Park, entered a plea of not guilty to charges of driving under the influence and driving without a license.
He had been driving a 2016 Toyota Tundra on the night of Jan. 14 when he rear-ended a 2024 Ford Mustang at U.S. 301 and SE Hwy. 42 in Summerfield, according to an arrest report from the Florida Highway Patrol. A witness told an investigator that Gomez Hernandez attempted to discard an empty Modelo beer bottle. The bottle was recovered nearby, the report said. It also said Gomez Hernandez had “urinated down the front of his blue jeans.”
Gomez Hernandez handed the trooper an identification card from Mexico. A Spanish-speaking trooper was summoned to the scene to instruct Gomez Hernandez on field sobriety exercises. His poor performance led troopers to conclude that he had been driving impaired.
He refused to provide a breath sample.
Gomez Hernandez is being represented by the public defender’s office. A pretrial conference in his case is set for Feb. 25 in Marion County Court.