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Man arrested after driving through Keys checkpoint

Ap Photo John Raoux 1 1

The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office is reporting that they have arrested a Florida resident on a felony charge after he purposely drove through a police checkpoint despite being told to turn around.

56-year-old Joao Ramon Perez was arrested on Saturday evening at a checkpoint on Overseas Highway. Authorities said he drove up in a truck pulling a personal watercraft but could not produce significant paperwork proving that he is a resident of the area.

The Keys has been closed off to nonresidents since March, in an attempt to prevent the spread of the coronavirus in the area.

Authorities say Perez told them that he was not going to turn around and that they would have to arrest him just moments before he drove through the checkpoint.

Perez is now facing a felony charge of fleeing and eluding police and several misdemeanors.