A Miami man was arrested for reckless driving and having no valid driver’s license Sunday afternoon.
Deputy Nelson Sanchez was on patrol at the 89 mile marker at 4:20 p.m. when he spotted a black Mercedes speeding southbound. He could see a male driving the car and a female in the passenger seat.
As Deputy Sanchez attempted to catch up to the speeding vehicle to stop it, he saw it driving recklessly, passing a number of cars in the right turn lane at the 88.5 mile marker; he then saw it passing cars using the center turn lane at the 87 mile marker, still traveling at a high rate of speed.
Deputy Sanchez finally caught up with the Mercedes at the 86.5 mile marker and pulled it over. As he was stopping the vehicle, he saw the driver jump into the back seat and the female passenger get into the driver’s seat.
Deputy Sanchez made contact with the male driver in the back seat, identified as 21 year old Victor Yanez of Miami. As he spoke with Yanez through the open car window, he could smell the odor of marijuana coming from inside the vehicle. Yanez admitted he did not have a driver’s license. The female passenger said she only got into the driver’s seat because she was trying to help Yanez out. She admitted she should not have done so.
Because Deputy Sanchez is a marine deputy and drives a patrol truck, Yanez was transported to jail in a patrol car belonging to another officer. Once Yanez was in jail, the officer searched his back seat as part of his routine procedure after transporting a prisoner. In the back seat he found a plastic bag with marijuana inside. The bag had not been in the seat prior to his transporting Yanez.
Yanez was charged with reckless driving, driving with a suspended driver’s license, resisting arrest, tampering with evidence and possession of marijuana.