The reported sentence combines prison time with other conditions. Alexandra Marlene Baraga pleaded guilty to felony DUI causing serious bodily injury and felony reckless driving causing serious bodily injury and was sentenced to four years in state prison. Keys Weekly and the Miami Herald also reported 50 hours of community service, DUI school, random drug and alcohol testing, and a three-year driver’s license suspension.
The published accounts do not agree on the length or breakdown of probation. NBC Miami reported six years. Keys Weekly described one year on the DUI count and five years on the reckless-driving count, while the Herald reported five years.
The case stems from a crash on April 9, 2024, near Mile Marker 87 in Islamorada. According to a Florida Highway Patrol report cited by the Herald, Baraga’s Toyota Prius struck the rear of Deputy Julian Garcia’s patrol vehicle as he stood outside it during a traffic stop. The patrol car was pushed into the Ford Fusion Garcia had stopped, pinning him between the vehicles. The Fusion’s driver was treated for minor injuries.
Garcia lost his left leg below the knee, Keys Weekly reported. The Herald said colleagues applied tourniquets at the scene before he was taken by air to Jackson South Medical Center. Reports also differ on Baraga’s blood-alcohol result: the Herald reported .286, while Keys Weekly and NBC Miami reported approximately .268.
Garcia returned to work in June 2025 after rehabilitation, Keys Weekly reported. The Herald later reported that he had retired, citing sheriff’s office spokesperson Adam Linhardt.
Alcohol-crash figures
The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles counted 194 alcohol-confirmed crashes involving incapacitating injuries statewide in 2024 and reported 38 alcohol-confirmed crashes in Monroe County that year. These are not directly comparable counts: the statewide figure is limited to crashes involving incapacitating injuries, while the Monroe County figure covers alcohol-confirmed crashes generally. The figures therefore do not establish how many alcohol-confirmed crashes involving incapacitating injuries occurred in Monroe County.
