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JOE BLACKAuthorities say he offered a woman a ride after her van broke down on I-75 and tried to rape her.
A Bradenton truck driver was being held Monday on $50,000 bail after a woman said he tried to assault her along the interstate after her car broke down.
Valente Montes Avilez, 27, was at the Hernando County Jail on charges of kidnapping and attempted sexual battery as of Monday afternoon, jail officials said.
The woman's name was not released because of the nature of the charges.
According to reports, the woman's white van broke down on northbound Interstate 75 about 4:30 a.m. Monday on her way to work. As she walked northbound, Avilez pulled off the road and offered her a ride, according to a Hernando County Sheriff's Office report.
She told Florida Highway Patrol troopers that after she got into the cab of the semitrailer truck, Avilez asked her to come closer. When she tried to leave the cab, he grabbed her arm, the report states.
Avilez then dragged the woman by her arm to the edge of the brush line and attempted to sexually assault her as she tried to push him off her, she told troopers.
The woman was able to push Avilez off her after seeing an FHP patrol car with overhead lights on, reports state. The woman identified Avilez, who was in the back of his vehicle, to the trooper. She had scratches along her back and legs and a bruise on her arm, the report said.
Lt. Joe Paez, spokesman for the Sheriff's Office, advises motorists not to accept rides from other drivers when a vehicle breaks down. He said drivers should call 911 on their cell phones, if available, or use one of the call boxes situated every mile along I-75.
Drivers also can put up their hoods and secure a white cloth to the outside of the vehicle to signal passing law enforcement officials.
Avilez, a driver for Halder Garcia Trucking, has been arrested seven times since 1993, state records show. The charges ranged from driving under the influence to probation violations.
-Joe Black can be reached at 352 754-6117 or jblack@sptimes.com