On May 22, a Tampa Police Department Officer was on duty at the traffic light at Armenia and Kennedy Blvd. facing south bound. He observed a red BMW and one other vehicle turn right onto Armenia traveling northbound. Both vehicles were traveling the wrong way down a one-way street. Upon reaching the intersection at Kennedy, both vehicles stopped. When the light for south bound traffic on Armenia changed to green, the car next to the officer waited for the 2 vehicles to proceed. The vehicles did not move so the officer flashed his lights at them, but they did not respond. As the light turned back to red, the BMW turned left onto Kennedy Blvd. The officer attempted to stop both vehicles, but only the BMW pulled over. The officer made contact with the Defendant, the driver of the BMW, and immediately noticed an odor of an alcoholic beverage. The Defendant also had bloodshot/drowsy eyes and is speech was slurred. The Defendant was relocated to a parking lot to perform field sobriety exercises. The Defendant performed the exercises poorly, indicating impairment. The Defendant was placed under arrest for DUI. After being read Implied Consent Law, the Defendant refused to submit to a breath test. Results: The firm filed a motion to suppress which was scheduled to be heard the morning before the trial. Before the motion was heard by the Judge, the state dropped the DUI charge.
DUI & Criminal Division
