A 55-year-old Fort McCoy woman was charged with DUI after a wreck Tuesday night on County Road 452 just south of Yale Cove Road in Leesburg.
A Florida Highway Patrol trooper responded around 10 p.m. to a crash between a grey Chevy Tahoe and a grey Hyundai Sonata. Both vehicles were on the west shoulder of the road, with the Tahoe facing south and the Sonata facing west. A Lake County Fire Rescue lieutenant, who arrived at the scene earlier, told the trooper the driver of the SUV was still in the driver’s seat with her seat belt on and keys in the ignition. The lieutenant said the driver was visibly impaired, according to the FHP report.
The trooper spoke with the driver, Deborah Jean Zajkowski, and immediately smelled alcohol on her breath. Zajkowski was barely maintaining her balance when she asked if she could sit down near her vehicle. The trooper observed Zajkowski’s eyes were glossy, watery and bloodshot, the report said.
When asked for her registration and proof of insurance were, Zajkowski replied, “I don’t know where all my documents are at, maybe inside the car.” The trooper asked Zajkowski to stand up and she became very upset and started moving around. The trooper asked Zajkowski to focus on the conversation so he could figure out what happened. She told the trooper she was at some place getting her brake pads replaced and now she can’t even drive her vehicle because it is destroyed, according to the report.
Zajkowski told the trooper she was headed to a friend’s house. Asked if she had anything to drink (alcoholic beverages), Zajkowski said she had, “beer Busch Light.” Asked how many she had, she said “three, but not sure.” Zajkowski agreed to perform a series of field sobriety tests, which she failed, the report said.
Zajkowski was charged with DUI and taken to the Lake County Jail, where she refused to provide a breath sample for testing, according to the report. She was released Wednesday on $1,000 bond and is due to appear in Lake County Court on May 11.
