A 28-year-old Indiantown man is accused of being a reckless and intoxicated driver who crashed into a church, according to Martin County sheriff's officials.
Geremias Pascual was arrested about 11:30 p.m. Aug. 24 and charged with fleeing and eluding law enforcement, resisting arrest without violence, DUI, refusing to submit for DUI testing after a suspended license and four counts of DUI damage to property or person, according to the Martin County Jail's website.
Sheriff's deputies working in western Martin County saw an SUV driver, later identified as Pascual, swerve onto the grass while traveling northbound on Southwest Washington Avenue through a residential neighborhood in Indiantown, according to officials.
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Deputies tried to stop Pascual, but he refused to stop, according to officials. They used a PIT maneuver to slow the SUV, but Pascual kept going and sped up.
Pascual eventually crashed into a tree, a power pole and the side of Restoration Baptist Church, destroying the congregation's air-conditioning unit and causing thousands of dollars in damage, according to officials. Deputies ordered him out of the vehicle and took him into custody.
Pascual remained in the Martin County Jail on Aug. 25 with an $8,000 bail, according to the jail's website.
Laurie K. Blandford is a breaking news reporter with TCPalm. Email her at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Florida man arrested, charged with DUI accused of crashing into church