KEY LARGO, Fla. — Authorities say a Florida man drove his truck through a checkpoint set up to prevent non-residents from entering the Florida Keys in response to the coronavirus after being turned away by deputies.
The Monroe County Sheriff's Office says 56-year-old Joao Ramon Perez was arrested Saturday evening on a felony charge of fleeing and eluding police and several misdemeanors.
Officials say Perez drove his pickup truck, which was towing a personal watercraft, up to the Overseas Highway checkpoint without sufficient documentation.
A report says Perez told deputies he wasn’t going to turn around and that they would have to arrest him. Officials say he then drove through the checkpoint and was arrested soon after.