Felon Faces DUI, Gun Charges: Sarasota County Sheriff

NORTH PORT, FL — Deputies with the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office helped investigators with the Department of Homeland Security in the arrest of a previously deported North Port man on driving under the influence and gun charges, authorities said.

Jose Jaime Morado-Zepeda was arrested and charged with two misdemeanor counts of DUI, according to a Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office news release.

During an inventory of his truck, deputies located multiple firearms, about 1,000 rounds of ammunition and $5,000 cash.

The truck wasn’t registered and the license plate appeared to be fake or altered, which resulted in the truck being impounded, the sheriff’s office said.

Investigators determined that Morado-Zepeda, who isn’t a U.S. citizen, had entered the country illegally, SCSO said.

They learned that he had previously been deported for illegal entry several times and is considered “an aggravated felon” because of his previous record, the agency said.

After his DUI arrest, enough evidence was found to investigate him on federal firearm charges. He was arrested a second time and taken into federal custody, the sheriff’s office said.