A 27-year-old Leesburg man who said he drank three beers had a breath alcohol level twice the legal limit when he was charged with DUI in Clermont early Sunday.
At around 3 a.m., a Clermont police officer received a report of a black Chevy truck swerving all over the road on Florida’s turnpike as it approached Clermont. The officer observed the truck after it got off the turnpike and headed northbound on U.S. 27 near U.S. 50. The vehicle was in the far right lane but unable to stay there, as it swayed into the middle lane and over the solid lines next to the curb, according to the police report.
The officer initiated the traffic stop south of the intersection of U.S. 27 and Citrus Tower Boulevard and spoke with the driver, Michael Teal, of 6994 Blue Cedar Road in Leesburg. Teal was eating a cheeseburger and had a drink in his hand. His eyes were bloodshot, his speech was slurred and he had alcohol on his breath, the report said.
Teal told the officer he had “gone out in Sanford.” When asked if he had anything to drink, Teal said he did. He agreed to perform a series of field sobriety exercises, which he struggled with. Teal was placed under arrest and taken to the Clermont Police Department to provide breath samples for testing. The results were 0.179 and 0.168 – more than twice the legal limit of 0.08, according to the report.
Teal was taken to the Lake County Jail, where he was released later Sunday on $1,000 bond. He will appear in Lake County Court on Aug. 3.
