James Curtis
•9/1/2026
An 18-year-old man from Ave Maria was arrested on Monday after he was accused of DUI following a crash on I-75 in Lee County that sent a person to the hospital. According to the Florida Highway Patrol, Christian David Perez was arrested after he was reportedly driving a 2017 Nissan Altima with three passengers southbound on the interstate, north of Corkscrew Road, in the inside lane. Troopers said a 40-year-old Cape Coral man was driving a 2012 Cadillac SRX in front of the other vehicle. When the Cadillac driver slowed down for traffic stopped ahead, Perez is accused of not slowing enough and crashing into the rear of the Cadillac at 6:42 a.m. near mile marker 123, the report stated. One of Perez's passengers, another 18-year-old man from Ave Maria, was seriously injured in the crash and taken to the hospital, FHP said. No one else was seriously hurt. Perez was arrested and faces three DUI charges. He was taken to the Lee County Jail. 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.
