Fort Myers red-light stop links pickup to earlier crash with injury; driver arrested on DUI charge

FORT MYERS, Fla. —

A man is accused of DUI, hit-and-run and reckless driving after troopers from the Florida Highway Patrol say they saw him running a red light in Fort Myers.

FHP says on Saturday evening, they stopped a Chevrolet Silverado traveling south on Fowler Street by Colonial Boulevard in Fort Myers. Troopers say he ran a red light at the intersection.

Upon making a traffic stop, troopers say they noticed the truck had been involved in a crash with injury to the other driver on Fowler Street earlier. They say the driver of the truck, George Sandoval, 25, showed signs of impairment: bloodshot eyes, slurred speech and the smell of alcohol on his breath.

Sandoval reportedly made conflicting statements to troopers, saying he was not driving, was in a crash and was not in a crash.

FHP says they also noticed green flecks on Sandoval's pants, indicative of marijuana use. While in custody FHP, says he would fall asleep, belch, spit up, yell, laugh, mumble and speak to himself.

Troopers say Sandoval refused to complete field sobriety tests and a breath test. He was arrested on charges of DUI, reckless driving, hit and run and giving a false ID to a law enforcement officer, among others.

DOWNLOAD the free Gulf Coast News app for your latest news and alerts on breaking news, weather, sports, entertainment, and more on your phone or tablet. And check out the Very Local Gulf Coast app to stream news, entertainment and original programming on your TV.