On 4/9/11, at 3:27 am, a Tampa Police officer observed a vehicle traveling in front of him drifting repeatedly within the inside lane. The vehicle then began to drift entirely over the lane marker to the outside lane. The vehicle did this 3 times. The officer then observed the vehicle drift from the inside lane toward the median. The vehicle’s tires on the driver’s side briefly made contact with the median. At that point, the officer initiated a traffic stop. The vehicle was very slow to react to the lights and siren, but eventually pulled into a parking lot and stopped. Upon making contact with the driver, the officer noticed a strong odor of alcohol coming from her breath. The Defendant also had slurred speech and red watery eyes. The Defendant forgot to produce proof of insurance when requested and when asked to exit the vehicle, she stumbled. A DUI investigator was called to the scene. The Defendant agreed to perform field sobriety exercises. On the walk and turn, she failed to maintain her balance, did not touch heel to toe and lost her balance during the turn. On the one leg stand, she swayed while balancing. On the Finger to Nose test she failed to touch her nose 3 times. The Defendant was then arrested for DUI. The Defendant’s breath sample results were .082 and .073. Result: The case was set for trial, but before the trial began, the DUI charge was dropped by The State.
DUI & Criminal Division
