A Ponte Vedra Beach lawyer was arrested Wednesday afternoon after St. Johns County deputies say he fled the scene of a crash, fled police, and refused a breathalyzer.
The suspect was identified as Christopher John Bondani, 41, according to an arrest report from the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies said Bondani was taken into custody following a reported hit-and-run crash “with serious injuries” on State Road A1A in Ponte Vedra Beach shortly after 3:30 p.m.
Deputies reported that another patrol unit was already following Bondani’s vehicle when he joined the pursuit. Both cruisers activated emergency lights and sirens, but Bondani allegedly failed to stop, papers state.
He continued into a nearby residential neighborhood before coming to a stop in front of a residence on Payasada Circle.
Bondani told deputies he was unaware he had been involved in a crash and said he was attempting to go home.
Deputies noted in their report that he drove in the opposite direction of his residence after the crash.
While speaking with Bondani, deputies said they observed glassy eyes and detected the odor of alcohol coming from his breath. He was read his Miranda rights and declined to answer questions. Bondani also refused to submit to a breath test at the scene, the arrest report states.
A search of the vehicle revealed two empty cans of Truly hard seltzer labeled as 8% alcohol, one in the center console and another in the trunk, according to the report.
Bondani again refused breath testing after being transported to the St. Johns County Jail, papers state.
He was charged with leaving the scene of a crash involving injuries, driving under the influence, fleeing or attempting to elude law enforcement with lights and sirens activated, and refusal to submit to DUI testing.
The case remains pending in St. Johns County Circuit Court.
Bondani has retained prominent attorney Lee Lockett, who told The Citizen Friday that he’s awaiting video evidence and other materials to properly assess the case.
The arrest report, he said, provides only a limited account of what took place.
“We look forward to resolving this in a favorable manner,” he said, reserving further comment.
According to the St. Augustine Record, Bondani was disciplined by the Florida Bar for a pair of DWI arrests in October 2017.
He entered a no contest plea to the amended charge of reckless driving in a Duval DUI, a second-degree misdemeanor, and pleaded no contest to DWI in St. Johns County, also a misdemeanor, according to the report.
He was sentenced to 12 months of probation for those offenses.
