Sheriff Grady Judd Just Turned a Drunk Illegal Alien Into a Felon Using One Florida Law Democrats Hate

A Guatemalan illegal alien just plowed through a Walmart parking lot drunk, broke a motorcyclist's arm, and drove away.

That happened six months after another illegal alien from Nicaragua got behind the wheel drunk in Polk County, crashed into a fence, and ran.

Sheriff Grady Judd didn't let either one walk – and the second case revealed exactly how Florida is making it stick.

Florida's Charge Enhancement Law Is a Game Changer

Roberto Sandobal-Lopez, a 34-year-old Nicaraguan national with no legal right to be in this country, got behind the wheel Saturday evening in Winter Haven and drove straight into a fence on Spirit Lake Road.

He blew a 0.13 BAC – nearly twice the legal limit.

Then he ran.

Witnesses called Polk County Sheriff's deputies, who tracked him down.

When deputies found him, his eyes were watery, he reeked of alcohol, and he told them he'd knocked back six Modelo beers a few hours earlier.

He didn't have a driver's license.

Sandobal-Lopez was booked into the Polk County Jail on four charges: DUI with property damage, DUI, leaving the scene of a crash with property damage, and driving without a license.

Then Florida's charge enhancement law kicked in.

Because Sandobal-Lopez is in this country illegally, every charge was upgraded one degree – the DUI with property damage became a third-degree felony, and the remaining charges became first-degree misdemeanors.

He is sitting in the Polk County Jail until ICE comes to collect him.

Grady Judd Is Why This State Works

Sheriff Grady Judd didn't mince words.

"Our illegal guest from Nicaragua could have very easily injured someone, or destroyed a family while driving drunk – fortunately it was only a fence he destroyed," Judd said.

"And then he cowardly walked away from the scene and responsibility."

Judd made the legal framework clear: "In Florida, if you're committing the crime of being here illegally, your other criminal charges are enhanced one degree; he's now facing a serious felony because he caused damage to property while driving under the influence."

This is not a one-time enforcement show.

In January 2025, Judd publicly blasted Biden's ICE for releasing two illegal alien brothers – Juan and Bernaldo Lopez-Lopez – back onto Florida roads after they'd already been arrested and handed to federal authorities, where they were re-arrested for drunk driving.

Over Memorial Day weekend 2025, Polk County deputies arrested four illegal aliens for DUI in a single three-day traffic operation.

In February 2026, a 24-year-old Guatemalan illegal alien drove drunk through a Walmart parking lot in Mulberry, hit a motorcyclist, and fled.

Judd's office arrested 557 illegal aliens in 2025 alone and received more than $1 million in state reimbursements through the 287(g) program – the largest payout of any county in Florida.

This Is What Accountability Looks Like

Florida didn't build this enforcement framework by accident.

Governor Ron DeSantis signed the charge enhancement laws that make illegal immigration status an automatic aggravating factor in any criminal charge.

DeSantis was direct: "In Florida, we do not tolerate illegal immigration, let alone lawlessness committed by illegal aliens who shouldn't be here in the first place."

Across blue states, drunk-driving illegal aliens – including repeat offenders – get released into sanctuary cities that legally prohibit law enforcement from contacting ICE.

In Florida, they become felons.

Judd chairs the State Immigration Enforcement Council, and Florida now has 327 active 287(g) partnership agreements with ICE – a 577 percent increase since President Trump returned to office.

The left calls it discriminatory.

They don't have a good answer for the motorcyclist with the broken arm.

They don't have a good answer for the families driving Spirit Lake Road the night Sandobal-Lopez decided a fence was in his way.

Judd does: "Drive drunk, get arrested – be here illegally, meet ICE."

Sources:

• Polk County Sheriff's Office, "Suspect here illegally arrested for DUI and hit-and-run; charges enhanced due to illegal status," PCSO, August 19, 2025.
• FOX 13 Tampa Bay, "Illegal immigrant charged with DUI after crashing fence, leaving scene: PCSO," Fox 13 News, August 18, 2025.
• Governor Ron DeSantis, "Governor DeSantis Takes Further Action to Address Illegal Immigration and Criminal Activity in Florida," Executive Office of the Governor, March 15, 2024.
• Tampa Free Press, "Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd Slams ICE For Failing To Deport 'Drunk Illegal Aliens,'" Tampa Free Press, January 22, 2025.
• DailyRidge.com, "Sheriff Grady Judd: 'Drive Drunk, Get Arrested – Be Here Illegally, Meet ICE,'" DailyRidge.com, May 28, 2025.
• DeSantis Daily, "Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd Said Four Words After Illegal Alien Hit a Motorcyclist and Fled," DeSantis Daily, February 2026.