News and Investigations

On Saturday evening, August 16, 2025, Polk County Sheriff's deputies arrested a Nicaraguan man who is in the country illegally after he crashed his vehicle into a fenced yard in Winter Haven, then fled the scene. Deputies caught the suspect, 34-year-old Roberto Sandobal-Lopez (DOB 7/31/1991), walking near the crash scene and also determined he was driving under the influence. 

The crash occurred on Spirit Lake Road near Coleman Road around 7:00 p.m. Witnesses called the Sheriff's Office and reported that the driver and sole occupant left his white Honda in a yard after he crashed into a fence, then walked away.

When deputies located the suspect, they observed that Sandobal-Lopez had watery, bloodshot eyes and they detected the odor of alcohol. They asked him if he had been drinking, to which he replied that he had had six bottles of Modelo beer around 5:00 p.m. that evening. During field sobriety tests, he displayed several signs of impairment. A breath test recorded two breath samples at 0.13 and 0.124 BAC. 

He was booked into the Polk County Jail and charged with DUI with property damage (F3), DUI (M1), leaving the scene of a crash with property damage (M1), and no valid DL (M1). Each of these charges is upgraded by one degree due to his illegal status. 

“Our illegal guest from Nicaragua could have very easily injured someone, or destroyed a family while driving drunk -- fortunately it was only a fence he destroyed. And then he cowardly walked away from the scene and responsibility. In Florida, if you’re committing the crime of being here illegally, your other criminal charges are enhanced one degree; he's now facing a serious felony because he caused damage to property while driving under the influence.” – Grady Judd, Sheriff