Palm Beach County Fire Rescue firefighter Juan Ferro Saenz was arrested on July 28 for allegedly driving while under the influence of alcohol.
Saenz, 25, faces one charge of driving under the influence of alcohol. He was released on his own recognizance the next morning. It is unclear if he has acquired the services of an attorney.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the alleged incident occurred on the night of July 28 on the northbound lanes of Interstate 95 at Gateway Boulevard in Boynton Beach. Saenz was reportedly seen speeding and driving in an aggressive manner after entering I-95.
A trooper pulled over Saenz’s vehicle and noted that his speech was slurred and there was a smell of alcohol on his breath, the arrest report said. Saenz purportedly denied that he had consumed alcohol and refused to perform a series of field sobriety tests.
Before and after his arrest, Saenz reportedly told the trooper that he worked for Palm Beach County Fire Rescue. The trooper took him to Palm Beach County Jail, where he was placed under observation at the breath-alcohol test facility. Saenz did not consent to providing a breath sample.
Cases of DUI are a common occurrence in Palm Beach County. Just last Tuesday, Eric Christopher Swearingen of West Palm Beach was charged with a DUI in addition to hit-and-run charges after police received the results of a forced blood alcohol test.
Swearingen, 29, was initially charged with leaving the scene of a crash involving serious bodily injury. He now faces an additional charge of driving under the influence causing serious bodily injury.
According to the police report, the alleged hit-and-run occurred at approximately 12:30 a.m. July 12 on a street near Cucina. The victim, only identified as a 21-year-old woman, was crossing the street when Swearingen allegedly struck her. She suffered multiple injuries, including two broken legs, a fractured pelvis, and multiple fractures to her spine. Sources say she has had at least four surgeries since the accident, including one to reconstruct the bones of her right leg.
Swearingen didn’t stop to administer aid. He fled and refused to stop even after a witness chased him and tried to take his keys away, the report said. Police found him near his home, sitting on the ground next to his vehicle, which was heavily damaged.
Swearingen refused to perform field sobriety exercises and didn’t consent to blood alcohol testing. The results of a forced blood sample taken seven hours after the crash revealed that he had a residual blood-alcohol level as high as 0.210, which is more than twice the legal limit for driving in Florida.
Records show that Swearingen has an extensive history of traffic violations, including previous charges for reckless driving, speeding, failure to obey a traffic signal, careless driving, driving without lights to avoid arrest, and fleeing an officer. He was also reportedly found guilty of driving without a license three years ago in Palm Beach County.
Palm Beach County DUI Attorney
If you have been arrested for a DUI, then you should hire an attorney. Contact us to set up a free initial consultation and work with one of Palm Beach County’s most experienced DUI attorneys.
Sources: 8.13.19 Palm Beach County firefighter arrested on DUI allegation.pdf & 8.14.19 DUI charge added for driver who police say caused life-threatening injuries in hit-and-run.pdf