Suspected DUI Driver Arrested After Multi-Vehicle Hit-and-Run in Hernando County

A man identified only as Lafleur was taken into custody after deputies say a red Chevrolet Tahoe struck multiple vehicles in the Royal Highlands area, sending one driver to a local hospital and prompting a multi-agency response. The Hernando County incident occurred Feb. 12, 2026, with the initial hit-and-run reported at Commercial Way and Hexam Road, according to county dispatch reports cited by local coverage.

While Fire Rescue crews and Hernando County deputies were arriving at the Commercial Way and Hexam Road scene, authorities received additional reports that a male driving a red Chevrolet Tahoe had struck vehicles on Sunshine Grove Road and in a parking lot near Jacqueline Road. Witnesses told deputies the driver of the red Tahoe “fled north on foot along Sunshine Grove Road after the crashes,” and at least one injured driver was transported to a nearby hospital for treatment.

Members of the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office Traffic Unit responded to the area and located the suspect “just blocks away,” taking him into custody without incident, the sheriff’s office account states. The Florida Highway Patrol is listed as the investigating agency for the initial Commercial Way hit-and-run crash, while HCSO units handled the on-scene arrests and subsequent charging.

HCSO arrested Lafleur on charges that include DUI with bodily injury, refusal to submit to a blood, breath, or urine test, and leaving the scene of a crash with injury. Bond on the sheriff’s office charges was set at $11,000, according to the arrest notation provided in local reporting. The arrest affidavit and booking record have not yet been released with a full name, date of birth, or mugshot in the public record made available to this newsroom.

Key public records and agency files remain to be obtained to clarify outstanding facts: the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office booking report for Lafleur, the Florida Highway Patrol crash report for Commercial Way and Hexam Road on Feb. 12, 2026, and Fire Rescue run reports identifying the hospital that treated the transported driver. Open questions include Lafleur’s full name and age, the exact number of vehicles struck on Sunshine Grove Road and in the parking lot, whether any surveillance or traffic-camera footage exists, and the timing and circumstances of the alleged chemical-test refusal.

This office will seek on-the-record statements and documentation from Hernando County Sheriff’s Office media relations and the Florida Highway Patrol and will update coverage when booking records, crash diagrams, or prosecutor filings become available.