CLEARWATER, Fla. (WFLA) — A Dunedin couple was arrested Sunday after allegedly highway racing in Clearwater, according to Clearwater police.
Arrest affidavits filed by the Clearwater Police Department said Eric Daniel Solis Fernandez, 22, drove his Mazda on Gulf to Bay Boulevard at 91 mph, more than double the speed limit of 40 mph.
In the vehicle was Solis Fernandez’s girlfriend, 21-year-old Jennifer Charrez-Ensastiga, and a 6-month-old in the backseat.
According to Clearwater police, Solis Fernandez said he was just driving home.
The arrest documents said he appeared to be under the influence of alcohol after he did poorly on field sobriety tests and had an alcoholic odor on his breath while he spoke.
Officers said Solis Fernandez also gave a false last name at first, but they eventually got his correct name after multiple questions. The suspect was also found to be driving with a suspended license after a DUI conviction in February 2022, according to police.
During an inventory search of the suspect’s vehicle, officers found a baggie with white powder inside the driver’s door compartment that tested positive for cocaine.
Both the suspect and his girlfriend were charged with racing on highway and neglect of child. Solis Fernandez was also charged with violation of probation, possession of controlled substance, providing false name or identity to law enforcement, driving with a suspended license, and driving under the influence with a minor in the vehicle.
The arrest documents said Charrez-Ensastiga was charged because she allegedly did nothing to stop her boyfriend from driving at such a high speed.