Man found asleep behind wheel in Hillsborough County faces DUI charges: HCSO

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Published September 6, 2026 8:11 AM EDT

Courtesy: Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office 

The Brief

    • The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office arrested a driver after deputies found him sleeping inside a running car on Falkenburg Road. 
    • Investigators said the man refused field sobriety testing and had an open beer in his vehicle. 
    • The arrest comes as deputies step up patrols across Hillsborough County to catch impaired drivers over Labor Day weekend. 

TAMPA, Fla. - A 28-year-old man faces multiple charges after deputies found him asleep behind the wheel of a running car on Friday night in Tampa, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office. 

Sleeping driver found on Falkenburg Road

What we know:

Deputies said they found Sonny Vera, 28, sleeping inside a running vehicle on Falkenburg Road at 10:36 p.m. Friday. Members of the sheriff's office DUI Squad responded to the scene to conduct an investigation. 

According to HCSO, Vera refused to take a field sobriety test. Deputies also said they discovered an open beer inside his vehicle. 

Vera was arrested and charged with a second DUI conviction, a second or subsequent refusal to submit to testing, and violation of driver's license restrictions. 

The Source: The information in this story was gathered from the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office. 

Tampa