On Monday 2/20/23 at 2:32 am, FHP dispatch received information from a FDOT Road Ranger about a possibly impaired driver stopped on 1-4 near milepost 13. The Road Ranger Advised he stopped to check on a motorist parked on the shoulder and found him asleep in the driver’s seat. The driver made a statement he had been drinking, was sleeping it off, then went back to sleep, so the Road Ranger contacted FHP. At 2:40 am, the trooper arrived on the scene and contacted the defendant (later identified by FIL driver’s license) who was in the driver’s seat. The defendant exited the vehicle and spoke about why he was stopped. The defendant stated his car was out of gas, so he decided to sleep in his car. The defendant stated he was coming from the Brass Mug, was confused about his current location and directions, did not know what road he was on, his perception of time was off, he had bloodshot and watery eyes, was lethargic, emitted the odor of an alcoholic beverage from his breath when he spoke to me, had trouble putting his thoughts together, and swayed while standing. The defendant agreed to perform the field sobriety exercises and performed poorly. Due to the totality of the information gathered, he was arrested for DUI. The defendant refused to provide a breath sample, was read the implied consent warning at the jail, and again refused to provide a breath sample.
Result: The case was set for trial but prior to the trial the State dropped the DUI charge.