Bradenton resident Victor Perez, 39, will be on probation through May 2026 for reckless driving with alcohol, a second-degree misdemeanor.
Perez was arrested Sept. 24, 2024, after a Holmes Beach police officer clocked him driving 66 mph in a 25-mph zone. He displayed signs of impairment but refused to perform field sobriety tests or provide breath samples. He was arrested for suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
Perez was initially charged with a second-degree misdemeanor for alleged DUI, but signed a deal with the state attorney’s office last December to participate in Manatee County’s driver enhanced treatment education rehabilitation — or DETER — program.
The deal specified that, upon completion of the program, he could plead no contest to reckless driving with alcohol, for which adjudication would be withheld. Withholding adjudication allows a court to issue a sentence without a formal conviction.
According to the deal, that sentence would include serving 12 months of probation, paying a $500 fine, completing DUI school and a live-victim impact panel, as well as 50 hours of public service.
By a May 21 court hearing, Perez had completed the DETER program and pleaded no contest to reckless driving with alcohol.
Judge Melissa Gould of the 12th Circuit Court upheld the deal and sentenced Perez to 12 months of probation.