A Leesburg woman with a young boy in her car was arrested on a charge of driving under the influence on State Road 44 in Sumter County.
The Sumter County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call on Dec. 10 from a driver who told the dispatcher that he was following a black Toyota Scion near the intersection of State Road 44 and U.S. 301. As the tipster was following the Toyota, he described the car as weaving all over the road, according to the arrest report.
The deputy was able to locate the Toyota on State Road 44. The car was traveling 45 miles per hour in a 55 mph zone. The car left the roadway and then sharply veered back into the lane of travel several times. The deputy saw the driver appeared to be slouching into the middle of the vehicle as if she was falling asleep.
The deputy was able to stop the Toyota near the intersection of County Road 149 and State Road 44. He made contact with the driver, 34-year-old Nancy R. Benkowich, and a young boy who was in the front passenger seat. He could smell a strong odor of alcohol coming from Benkowich as he spoke with her. She had red glassy eyes and slurred speech.
When the deputy asked her to perform standardized field sobriety exercises she replied, ”No, I’m drunk.” She had difficulty standing with her feet together and confirmed that she would not perform the exercises. She refused to provide breath samples.
Benkowich was placed under arrest for DUI with a minor child in the vehicle and was transported to the Sumter County Detention Center. Bond was set at $1,000.
