Crime & Public Safety
Unlicensed driver arrested after deputy flags mismatched license plate at Wildwood country club entrance
A 22-year-old man was arrested Wednesday evening at the entrance to the Continental Country Club in Wildwood after a deputy determined the vehicle displayed a license plate that did not match the car. The stop occurred at about 7:26 p.m. near the intersection of East State Road 44 and Continental Boulevard, where a Sumter County Sheriff’s Office K9 deputy initiated the traffic stop following a records query.
According to the arrest report, the deputy ran the plate and learned it belonged to a different vehicle, prompting the traffic stop. The driver identified himself as Armando Ariza-Flores and provided a North Carolina identification card. A subsequent records check showed he did not possess a valid driver’s license.
Further checks of the vehicle identified that the vehicle identification number (VIN) corresponded to a registration that had been canceled. Based on the report, deputies charged Ariza-Flores with misdemeanor counts of operating a motor vehicle without a valid license and failing to register a motor vehicle.
Per the arrest report, deputies booked Ariza-Flores at the Sumter County Detention Center. He was later released after posting $750 bond. The information above is drawn from the Sumter County arrest report and law enforcement records documented at the time of the stop and booking.
All individuals accused of a crime are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
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All individuals mentioned in criminal allegations are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.