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Wrong-Way Crash Leads To Felony DUI Charge: Cantonment Man Faces Third Offense in Four Years
September 28, 2025
A Cantonment man is facing a felony DUI charge — his third — following a head-on collision last week where his blood alcohol content (BAC) was found to be nearly four times the legal limit.
James Reber Holder, 59, was arrested by the Florida Highway Patrol after a crash on East Olive Road near North Old Palafox Road. According to the FHP arrest report, Holder was traveling westbound in the eastbound lanes when his white Honda CR-V struck a white Honda Pilot driven by 40-year-old woman.
Witnesses at the scene identified Holder as the driver of the wrong-way vehicle.
While in the ambulance, the trooper noted a strong odor of alcohol emanating from Holder, slurred speech, and bloodshot eyes. A subsequent search of the vehicle revealed an open container of 4 Loko (13.9% alcohol) in the center console.
Holder’s blood alcohol content measured 0.310 at Sacred Heart Hospital— nearly four times higher than Florida’s legal limit of 0.08, according to FHP.
Holder was charged with felony driving under the influence third violation within 10 years, driving on the wrong side the road, tampering with an interlock device, and an open container violation.
The felony charge stemmed directly from Holder’s history of intoxicated driving. An FHP check of his driving record revealed two prior DUI convictions, one in June 2021 and another in August 2022. Under Florida law, a third DUI conviction within 10 years is classified as a third degree felony.
Holder’s driver’s license was already restricted to “business purposes only” and required a court-ordered ignition interlock device due to his previous offenses. The arrest report confirms that the Honda CR-V he was operating did not have the mandated interlock device installed.
Upon being informed that the crash investigation was transitioning to a criminal DUI investigation, Holder reportedly attempted to evade questioning by pretending not to understand English. The officer, a native Spanish speaker and certified in the language for law enforcement, offered to read the rights in Spanish, to which Holder immediately responded in “perfect English,” asking, “what was that.” FHP said he then refused a lawful request for a blood test.
Holder was released on a $5,000 bond.
The traffic crash victim’s injuries and condition were not detailed in the report.
Comments
11 Responses to “Wrong-Way Crash Leads To Felony DUI Charge: Cantonment Man Faces Third Offense in Four Years”
If you’ve gotten your 3rd DUI in 4 years you’ve probably driven drunk 100 times.
Yeh, we live in a fair society what a joke if it was me I would of been in prison in my fifth year of a 30-year sentence. I guess he got to kill somebody before anything can happen to him
He knows people.
This guy thinks drinking keeps him out of pain. If the judge would keep him in prison instead of letting him post bond, maybe he could see life in a different light other than being a drunk. I’d appreciate it. .I’m not anti-social, I just want to live awhile longer without running in to this guy.
What is wrong with those setting the bond amounts? Two prior convictions, a special lock device to disable his vehicle, now an accident while obliterated on alcohol and just a $5000 bond? He needs an extended lock up time to dry him out.
This cat is averaging one DUI every 16-months. This is the trash our LAZY prosecutors and WEAK judges put back on our streets.
When you’re a drunk, you don’t care about the lives of other people…obviously. When he’s in jail, he’ll think about the comforts of home and his bar…still not thinking about others.
they actually let this guy bond out after his 3rd DUI? How incredibly irresponsible of the powers that be. All they did was just enable him to go commit a 4th offense. They are going to be progressively worse. I guess he has to take a life or two before he’ll be held with no bond. Get this loser off our streets for good.
$5000 bond? Through a bondsman, that’s only $500. What a joke!
We will take 5 years as an appetizer with about 15 years as the main service . About 80 before he should see an automobile .
If you’re gonna drink yourself stupid, how hard is it to just stay at home and do it?
It’s where I keep all my good music anyway…don’t need to go out.
Well, that and I’m anti-social…