A suspect who is in the country illegally from Mexico was apprehended by the Polk County Sheriff's Office after he was seen crashing his friend's truck and then running into a wooded area.

Omar Sotero-Vera, DOB 1/19/04, has been charged with leaving the scene of a crash involving property damage (M1), no valid driver's license (M1), DUI (M1), and DUI with property damage (F3). Each of these charges is upgraded one level due to his illegal status.

The crash occurred around 10:45 p.m. on Friday, January 30, 2026. A witness called 911 and reported that a black Nissan truck had crashed into a concrete barrier on SR 33 North near Old Polk City Road in Polk City, and that the driver and sole occupant had fled the scene on foot. Deputies arrived and called for a drone unit to respond. The deputy sheriff operating the drone found the suspect walking in a nearby wooded area. He was taken into custody without incident, and he was positively identified by the witness.

During an interview with the suspect, who displayed injuries consistent with a crash and signs of impairment, he told deputies that he ran because he was scared due to the fact that he does not have a driver's license. Deputies contacted the truck's registered owner, who told them that he was out having drinks with friends (including the suspect) after work when he decided to get a ride home, at which point he left his truck keys with Sotero-Vera and asked him to move the truck so it would not get towed.

Sotero-Vera failed field sobriety tests and his breath alcohol content measured 0.143 and 0.139 (the legal threshold for impairment is 0.08).

Deputies contacted ICE and confirmed he entered the country illegally three years ago. They placed a detainer on him in the jail.

"I'm very proud of the witness who called us and the swift actions of my deputies who took this illegal criminal alien into custody. As drunk as he was it's a miracle he didn't hurt or kill anyone." - Grady Judd, Sheriff