A politician from Florida was arrested on Saturday for driving under the influence of alcohol and stashing cocaine in his shoes after he fell off his motorcycle while trying to escape police. According to New York Post, Pete Filiberto, a Palm Bay city councilman, was spotted speeding on a motorcycle on Saturday night around 11:50 pm. He was also seen running several stop signs well over the speed limit.
However, as he attempted to make a U-turn to evade the police, he lost control of the motorcycle and fell over. Even though he was intercepted by the police, the 34-year politician declined to speak to the cops and refused to take a breath test.
The cops later arrested him and took him to the police department's holding cell where he was ordered to remove his shoes. A plastic bag with 10.6 grams of powdered cocaine was found in one of his socks, arrest records show. Investigators also said he was also driving with a suspended license.
Mr Filiberto was ultimately charged with possession of cocaine, reckless driving, DUI alcohol, and refusing a DUI test, according to Florida Today. However, he is now out of jail on bond and will return to court at a later date.
The arrest wasn't his first as records obtained by The Space Coast Rocket revealed he was previously arrested in 2008 and 2019.
Palm Bay Mayor Rob Medina released a statement on Mr Filiberto's arrest, saying this is an ''active investigation'', and expressed faith in the police department to handle the matter with integrity.
"As mayor of the city of Palm Bay, I wanted to share my heart regarding the arrest of Councilman Filiberto. This is an active investigation and these are serious charges; however, I have full faith and confidence in the Palm Bay Police Department as they handle this matter with integrity and in accordance with the law. My prayers go out to Pete Filiberto and his family as they work through this situation. As you all know, my focus since being elected mayor has been to restore trust and confidence in the city and its leadership. And I want our community to know that I take this seriously, and we will continue to communicate and provide transparency through this process'', he told Channel 9., as reported by WFTV.
According to NY Post, Mr Filiberto is a contractor with the Department of Veteran Affairs and the vice chairman of the Brevard County Planning and Zoning Board.
