{"id":56871,"date":"2023-01-18T19:43:26","date_gmt":"2023-01-19T00:43:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/?p=56871"},"modified":"2023-01-18T19:43:31","modified_gmt":"2023-01-19T00:43:31","slug":"we-are-learning-more-about-the-public-servant-who-name-dropped-two-major-public-figures-during-a-dui-traffic-stop","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/2023\/01\/we-are-learning-more-about-the-public-servant-who-name-dropped-two-major-public-figures-during-a-dui-traffic-stop\/","title":{"rendered":"We are learning more about the public servant who name-dropped two major public figures during a DUI traffic stop"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Christine Deramo was pulled over earlier this month. She is Lee County Commissioner Cecil Pendergrass\u2019 assistant.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"489\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Deramo.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-56850\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Deramo.jpg 489w, https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Deramo-245x300.jpg 245w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 489px) 100vw, 489px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>Lee County Sheriff\u2019s Office deputies say&nbsp;she tried to use his name to avoid going to jail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Lehigh Acres Gazette finally heard from Pendergrass about the incident, and he told us to contact Betsy Clayton, APR, CPRC Communications Director Lee County Government her comment is, \u201cLee County Government does not discuss personnel matters.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Deramo\u2019s name-dropping was insufficient to keep the Lee County Sheriff\u2019s Office from posting her name and face on its arrest page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhile she herself is not a public official, she is the direct assistant for someone that is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/23p1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-56840\" width=\"709\" height=\"557\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/23p1.jpg 853w, https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/23p1-300x236.jpg 300w, https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/23p1-768x604.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 709px) 100vw, 709px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Lee County Commissioner Ceil Pendergrass and Christine Deramo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>According to her arrest report, she tried to use her boss\u2019 name to get out of a DUI.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After the deputy pulled Deramo over on Alico Road on January 7, the deputy said Deramo said she, \u201cDidn\u2019t want to put the deputy in a bad position.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"538\" src=\"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Carmine-Marceno-1024x538.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-46418\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Carmine-Marceno-1024x538.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Carmine-Marceno-300x158.jpg 300w, https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Carmine-Marceno-768x403.jpg 768w, https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Carmine-Marceno-1536x806.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Carmine-Marceno-2048x1075.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Sheriff Carmine Marceno<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>A little later, the deputy said Deramo asked if was too late to call Carmine, a clear reference to Sheriff Carmine Marceno.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The deputy made it clear that Deramo refused to take a field sobriety test and a breathalyzer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you refuse to take the sobriety test in Florida,&nbsp;your license could be suspended for up to one year, and that&#8217;s for your first offense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"962\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/DJG_1-962x1024.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-56872\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/DJG_1-962x1024.jpeg 962w, https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/DJG_1-282x300.jpeg 282w, https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/DJG_1-768x818.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/DJG_1.jpeg 1000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 962px) 100vw, 962px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Attorney Daniel J. Garza with Wilbur Smith Law<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>She has hired an attorney Daniel J. Garza with Wilbur Smith Law, who also did not answer Lehigh Acres Gazette calls or emails.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On Aug 31, 2021, Wilbur Smith Law gave Lee County Commissioner Cecil Pendergrass $1000 for his campaign.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Christine Deramo was pulled over earlier this month. She is Lee County Commissioner Cecil Pendergrass\u2019 assistant. Lee County Sheriff\u2019s Office deputies say&nbsp;she tried to use his name to avoid going&hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":56850,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[57,32],"tags":[2082],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56871"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=56871"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56871\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":56874,"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56871\/revisions\/56874"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/56850"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=56871"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=56871"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=56871"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}