A 22-year-old Leesburg man who claims he drank 15 beers was charged with DUI after being found passed out behind the wheel of his pickup truck, which was blocking traffic on North Boulevard.
A caller contacted a 911 operator 7 a.m. Sunday and said a light-colored truck was blocking traffic in the right northbound lane. A Leesburg police officer arrived at the scene and found a tan 2007 Chevrolet Silverado blocking traffic with its front-right bumper resting against a bus stop sign, according to the police report.
The officer found a man – later identified as Francisco J. Alvarez Guttierrez, of 811 Merridale Ave. – in the driver’s seat passed out with two empty Corona beer bottles in the passenger seat, along with an opened case of 24 Coronas on the front passenger floorboard. The vehicle was still in drive, the report said.
The officer called out multiple times for Alvarez Guttierrez to wake up before he finally regained consciousness. The officer could smell alcohol on his breath and his eyes were glassy and bloodshot, according to the report.
Alvarez Guttierrez declined to perform field sobriety exercises and was placed under arrest. While being booked at the Leesburg Police Department, he said he was out partying and drank approximately 15 12-ounce beers. He admitted multiple times he was intoxicated. Alvarez Guttierrez’s breath-alcohol level was measured at .168 and .161 – more than twice the legal limit, the report said.
Alvarez Guttierrez was taken to the Lake County Jail, where he was released Sunday afternoon on $1,000 bond. He’s scheduled to appear in Lake County Court on July 20.
