An unlicensed driver from the Dominican Republic was detained after being stopped for driving without a license in an unregistered vehicle.
Lilito Peralta, 42, was observed driving a blue Scion hatchback southbound on U.S. Hwy. 27/441 around 6:25 p.m. Sunday, according to an arrest report from the Fruitland Park Police Department. An examination of the transporter tag confirmed that it was no longer active and had been replaced.
The officer then stopped the vehicle and asked Peralta for his license and vehicle details. Peralta gave up the vehicle’s title as well as his New York learner’s permit. He indicated that the transporter tag belonged to Towing Solutions LLC, according to the report.
A check of Peralta’s license revealed that it was suspended. The officer also discovered a local connection from February 28, when he was stopped by the Clermont Police Department in the same car, which had a different company’s transporter tag affixed. During the stop, he received a criminal charge and many uniform traffic penalties. One of them was for driving with a suspended license without knowing it, according to the report.
The officer also examined the vehicle’s identification number, which was not currently registered. The officer asked Peralta to exit the vehicle, and he did so. When asked how long he’d resided in Florida, he said around a year. However, he traveled from New York due to having children up there. He indicated that he worked as a diesel mechanic, according to the report.
When the police questioned who owned the transporter tag, Peralta replied that it belonged to his friend’s company. According to the report, he also confirmed that the vehicle was not insured.
Peralta was ultimately arrested on allegations of no motor vehicle registration and no driver’s license (he had never had one). The Dominican Republic resident was transferred to Lake County Jail and then freed after paying a $1,500 bond.