A woman wearing a wine-themed T-shirt was charged with DUI after she reportedly drove into oncoming traffic with an open bottle of Crown Royal next to her.
Angela Janice Cruey, 45, of Minneola, was wearing a shirt with the phrase, “Wine takes the b*tch right out of me,” and a picture of a wine glass on the front of it when she was stopped by a Lake County sheriff’s deputy shortly after 11 p.m. Friday in Groveland.
The deputy was driving west on State Road 50 when he saw the headlights of an eastbound vehicle traveling in the westbound lanes. Drivers of vehicles in front of the deputy started to press their brakes and swerve towards the left, prompting the deputy to activate his emergency lights, according to the sheriff’s office arrest report.
The driver of the swerving vehicle, later identified as Cruey, drove towards traffic, onto the shoulder of the roadway and into a concrete drainage ditch. She then started to turn around, not properly responding to the deputy’s lights, and continued until she stopped in the parking lot of Wendy’s, located at 7753 SR 50 in Groveland, the report said.
The deputy approached Cruey to explain his concerns and ask if there was a medical emergency. Cruey was speaking to her daughter on the phone and was very distracted, unable to divide her attention between the phone and the deputy. She asked her daughter the same question multiple times, indicating she was having trouble remembering things. Eventually, the deputy was able to get an answer from Cruey that she was OK, and she was just trying to get to her daughter, according to the report.
The deputy observed Cruey’s eyes were glassy, watery, and bloodshot. She also emitted a strong odor of alcoholic beverage from her breath as she spoke with slurred speech, the report said.
The deputy was able to see what appeared to be the top of a Crown Royal bottle in a peach-colored Crown Royal bag next to the passenger seat. When asked how many drinks she had that day, Cruey said she had a glass of wine and a beer, according to the report.
Based on her driving, indicators of impairment and statements made, the deputy asked Cruey to participate in field sobriety exercises, which she did. Her performance led the deputy to conclude Cruey was driving under the influence, and she was placed under arrest, the report said.
Once Cruey was detained, the deputy retrieved the bottle of Crown Royal, which was about three-fourths empty. The deputy also found a black plastic bag that had the box for the Crown Royal. A Styrofoam cup on the passenger floorboard contained what the deputy believed to be Coke and Crown Royal, according to the report.
Cruey was taken to the Clermont Police Department, where she refused to provide a breath sample for testing. She was then transported to the Lake County Jail without incident, the report said.
Cruey was charged with DUI and issued civil citations for careless driving and having an open container in her vehicle. She was released from jail after posting $1,000 bond.
