Unlicensed driver from Mexico caught behind wheel of vehicle with expired plate

A Leesburg man was arrested for driving without a license after police caught him in a vehicle with an expired tag. 

Police spotted the driver of a red 2014 Chevrolet Silverado, later identified as 28-year-old Jose Luis Hernandez Pacheco, traveling northbound on Rose Avenue at 9:31 a.m. Thursday, according to an arrest report from the Fruitland Park Police Department. 

While behind the vehicle, the officer ran its registration to learn it expired on Oct. 4. He proceeded to initiate a traffic stop at Poinsettia Avenue and West Miller Street before speaking to Pacheco through the front passenger side window, the report said. 

Pacheco stated he could only speak Spanish but provided a Mexican passport and the vehicle registration. The officer could not find an individual matching his name and date of birth with a valid license in the system. As such, he asked Pacheco if he was traveling to work and how long he had been living in the United States. He answered yes and two years, the report said. 

The officer then requested a Spanish-speaking officer to confirm these statements. An officer with Lady Lake Police Department arrived and discovered that Pacheco never had a license and had resided in the United States for roughly two and a half years, the report said. 

As a result, Pacheco was arrested on charge of no driver’s license never had one. He was also issued a uniform traffic citation with a court date of Nov. 8. He was transported to the Lake County Jail and released after posting $500 bond.