Most nights on patrol are routine. Last night in Martin County wasn’t one of them. In the span of a single shift, deputies made three separate DUI arrests, and one of them involved a car that didn’t just crash—it went airborne first. If you needed a reminder that impaired driving and good judgment don’t mix, this one comes with visuals.
We talk a lot about horsepower, handling, and what a car can do when it’s pushed. But there’s a difference between a car performing well and a car performing an unintentional stunt. One of these drivers found that line the hard way, and it involved a railroad crossing that definitely wasn’t built to be a landing pad.
The other two arrests were more conventional, but no less serious. A dangerous driving complaint led deputies to a driver who, it turns out, has never actually held a valid license. And a third arrest happened along one of the county’s busier highways after deputies spotted clear signs of impairment. Three different situations, same underlying issue.
None of these ended in serious injury, which is the one piece of good news in all this. But it’s worth walking through what happened, because there’s a real lesson buried under the flashing lights—one that any of us who love cars should be able to get behind.
The Crash That Ended Up on the Tracks
The most dramatic incident happened near the 6100 block of North Dixie Highway, where a vehicle veered across the road, went airborne, rolled over, and came to rest on a railroad crossing. That’s a lot of action for one stretch of highway. Witnesses watched it unfold, and the crossing itself took significant damage.
The driver, 35-year-old Devin Rene Mitchell, failed a field sobriety test and was arrested for DUI on the spot, according to the Martin County Sheriff’s Office. We’ve all seen a car “catch air” in a movie stunt sequence with ramps, planning, and a stunt coordinator standing by. This was none of that.
A Driver Who’s Never Actually Been Licensed
The second arrest started with reports of reckless driving. When deputies caught up with 51-year-old Maria Parez-Nolasco-De Ramirez, they made an additional discovery: she has never held a valid driver’s license.
Not expired, not suspended — never issued in the first place. That’s a detail that adds a whole extra layer to an already risky situation.
A Third Stop Closes Out a Long Shift
Rounding things out, 26-year-old Erick Mejia-Olguin was arrested along Kanner Highway after deputies observed signs of impairment.
No dramatics here, just another example of how a normal patrol shift can turn into three DUI arrests before the sun comes up.
Cars are meant to be enjoyed, respected, and occasionally pushed to see what they can do—on a track, not on Dixie Highway at 2 a.m. With rideshare apps a tap away, there’s really no good reason to get behind the wheel impaired. Glad everyone walked away from this one. The railroad crossing, unfortunately, did not.