On March 11, at approximately 1:31am, a Tampa Police officer saw a white ford explorer traveling south on N. Florida Ave. The Ford’s right side tires were on the outer painted fog line. As the ford travelled, the tires continued to touch the right side fog line. The Ford then began to follow very closely behind a vehicle in front of it. The Ford then changed lanes several times and was paced traveling 62mph in a 40 mph zone. The officer activated his emergency equipment once the Ford’s right rear tire struck the curb. The driver was slow to respond and did not pull over until the emergency siren was used. Once the officer made contact with the driver, he noticed a distinct odor of alcohol on his breath. The driver also fumbled and dropped his documents while trying to hand them to the officer. The driver said he was coming from Channelside with his brother. The driver also had bloodshot eyes and his face was flushed. The driver’s speech was slurred and he admitted to about 3 beers. The driver agreed to perform field sobriety exercises, which indicated impairment. He was placed under arrest for DUI and refused to provide a breath sample. During inventory of the vehicle, an open vodka bottle and 2 empty red SOLO coups were found in the back floor board. Result: the case was set for trial but before the trial began, the State dropped the DUI charge.
DUI & Criminal Division
