On February 9, 2025, the Lake Wales Police were conducting speed enforcement at the intersection of S.R. 60 and Hwy 27 around 10 p.m. An officer reportedly clocked a pickup truck traveling at 68 MPH in a 40 MPH zone. The vehicle was pulled over, and the driver advised that he did not have a driver’s license and instead provided a Mexican passport.
The driver, Primitivo Alvarez (DOB: 6/10/89), was charged with speeding and driving without a license. During the stop, the officer smelled a strong odor of alcohol. Alvarez also appeared to have watery eyes and slurred speech. Additionally, he had three juveniles in the vehicle, ages 12, 9, and 8.
LWPD officers conducted a field sobriety test, which Alvarez reportedly failed. At that point, he was arrested. According to the affidavit, Alvarez refused a breathalyzer test:
“After completing the field sobriety tasks, Alvarez was asked if he would be willing to provide a sample of his breath using the Intoxilyzer 8000 device. He refused to submit to the breath test.”
The suspect was read an implied consent warning but still refused the breathalyzer.
Alvarez was transported to the Polk County Jail and charged with DUI with passengers under 18, driving without a license, and speeding.
