The traffic stop on I-95 just south of State Road 100 in Palm Coast Tuesday afternoon–conducted by the Florida Highway Patrol’s drug-hunting Criminal Interdiction Unit–started when a cop thought the tinting on the vehicle’s windows was suspiciously dark.
The driver’s side front and rear windows’ tinting read 10 percent when tested. The issue, however, was the three occupants of the vehicle, all Orlando residents, starting with Juan Torres-Rodriguez, 24. One of two passengers in the car, he was a fugitive from justice, with an active warrant out of Puerto Rico, where he is wanted for a homicide.
The troopers brought in a K-9. The K-9 sniffed around the vehicle, then scratched by the left rear door seam. A search of the car produced “a small amount of marijuana remnants” in a clothing store type bag. That was it for drugs, But the search also turned up credit cards stashed inside a motorcycle boot, in a box, positioned in a child seat. Then other credit cards were located–under the driver’s seat, in the front-passenger’s purse, in the rear passenger’s wallet, in the ashtray, in the space just in front of the gear shift.
In all, troopers netted 72 credit cards. Every credit card was under the name of Figueroa-Rodriguez and fellow-passenger Liz Marie Figueroa-Rodriguez, 24, both of whom live at 3332 South Semoran Boulevard in Orlando. The credit cards were fake, or “falsely embossed or altered,” as one of the official charges reads.
At the wheel of the car was Alberto Bourdier-Maldonado, 36, of 85-10 98th Street in Woodhaven, a section of Queens, N.Y. The suspects invoked their right to remain silent after hearing their Miranda warning.
All three were charged with 72 counts each of falsely making credit cards, altering credit cards and larceny (all third-degree felonies) in addition to possession of two or more counterfeit cards, also a third degree felony. Because of the numerous charges, the bond on each suspect added up to over $1 million, according to their arrest reports–and $10.15 million in the case of Bourdier-Maldonado, though on his arrest report the bond amounts listed for each of his charges were similar to those of the two other suspects.
All three suspects remain at the Flagler County jail.
Anonymous says
Good police work! A officer saw something that did not seem right in his judgment. made a stop and # criminals are off the street well until they are let out on bond.
Anonymous says
I am sure they all know the justice system well.
frankie boy says
good job highway patrol!
3 blind mice says
So he pulled the car for Windows being tinted? I would be furious if I got harassed for this. Yay to the fact we got a couple crims of the road! the question is for me, Are tinted windows enough for a cop to deem you suspicious? How are tinted windows suspicious anyway? aren’t they to keep your car cool in the hot FL sun?
racist says
im sure this same trooper has stoped and harrased more than 100 ppl for there tints and got one good hit.. so now his a hero… but why noone is talking about the other 99 that came off clean when he stoped them for there tints… i guess noone cares about ppl civil rites to have tints but seens the are of latin race, its ok?
think ppl,,, police is making false stops and when ppl complain they say you look suspicious..
i have been stoped for tints more than 5 times and when they dont find anything, they give you a so call warning and they go off to the next lookin latin or black… WAKE UP IDIOTS……