An Ave Maria man faces three DUI counts after an I-75 crash in Lee County seriously injured one of his passengers, according to FHP and the county jail record
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Gulf Coast News reporter James Curtis reported that Florida Highway Patrol arrested an 18-year-old Ave Maria man after a Monday morning crash on southbound Interstate 75 in Lee County seriously injured one of his passengers.
The Lee County Sheriff's Office booking record confirms that Christian David Perez was booked on Monday and lists Florida Highway Patrol as the arresting agency. The jail lists three DUI counts under case 26CF017148. One is described as DUI involving serious bodily injury to another person. The other two are described as DUI involving damage to another person or property.
The charges are allegations. The booking record is not a finding of guilt.
What FHP reported about the crash
Curtis reported from the FHP account that Perez was driving a Nissan Altima with three passengers south on I-75, north of Corkscrew Road, at about 6.42 a.m. Monday.
According to that account, a Cadillac ahead of the Nissan slowed for stopped traffic near mile marker 123. FHP accused Perez of failing to slow enough before the Nissan struck the Cadillac from behind.
An 18-year-old passenger in the Nissan was taken to a hospital with serious injuries, Curtis reported. The station said nobody else was seriously injured.
The crash was over before this brief was published. There is no active road closure attached to it, so it is not flagged as breaking.
Where we read it: James Curtis at Gulf Coast News. Read their story.
The document: Lee County Sheriff's Office booking 1031418, Christian David Perez, 31 August 2026.
