Driver blames Hurricane Debby for doing poorly on DUI sobriety test, Florida cops say
.jpeg "A suspected drunk driver is blaming Hurricane Debby for her unsteady gait during a roadside sobriety test, according to the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office in Florida.")
A suspected drunk driver is blaming Hurricane Debby for her unsteady gait during a roadside sobriety test, according to the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office in Central Florida.
The unique explanation came Monday, Aug. 5, after the 38-year-old woman was pulled over in Crystal River by none other than the sheriff, officials said in an Aug. 7 news release.
Category 1 Hurricane Debby made landfall in Florida around 7 a.m. Monday, about 100 miles to the northwest in Taylor County in the Big Bend area.
“While Sheriff Mike Prendergast was on his way to assess the roadways ... amid Hurricane Debby, he noticed a motorist spinning her wheels at a stop light in the lane next to him. Once the light turned green, the driver ... began to drive erratically between lanes,” the sheriff’s office said.
“Prendergast initiated a traffic stop. ... When (he) approached the vehicle, he could immediately smell the odor of alcohol on her breath and noticed she had slurred speech.”
Deputies discovered “several” alcoholic drink containers in the vehicle, some empty, some full, officials said.
The woman exited the vehicle and “performed poorly on the ‘walk and turn’ field sobriety exercise, blaming the storm winds for her not being able to walk in a straight line,” the sheriff’s office said.
“During other exercises, (she) refused to listen to instructions and continued to talk over deputies. Deputies gave (her) several chances to calm down and focus, but it was unsuccessful,” officials said.
“(She) refused to submit a breathalyzer test and was also found to be driving on a suspended license.”
The driver, who lives in Crystal River, was charged with DUI and driving with a revoked or suspended license, according to an affidavit.
Citrus County is about a 75-mile drive northwest from Orlando.
This story was originally published August 8, 2024 at 7:33 AM with the headline "Driver blames Hurricane Debby for doing poorly on DUI sobriety test, Florida cops say."