A Fort Smith man was arrested for driving under the influence for the second time after police found a beer can in the driver’s side door of his vehicle.
An officer observed the driver of a white Hyundai utility vehicle, later identified as 61-year-old Michael Werthmuller, traveling southbound on Citrus Boulevard at about 9:05 p.m. Sunday, according to an arrest report from the Leesburg Police Department.
As the officer watched, the vehicle made a wide right turn, cutting across all three lanes and driving the left two wheels onto the raised concrete median. It also had no headlights or taillights activated despite the dark roadway conditions. The vehicle then tried to do a U-turn and struck the raised curb on the northbound shoulder, the report said.
The officer initiated a traffic stop and the vehicle pulled into a nearby parking lot. The officer noticed a beer can in the driver’s door and detected a strong odor of alcohol on Werthmuller’s breath as he spoke. After failing a series of field sobriety exercises, Werthmuller was determined to be under the influence. He refused to submit to a breath test, but law enforcement officials confirmed he had a previous conviction for DUI in Virginia from March 2013, according to the report.
As a result, the Texas native was arrested and charged with DUI (second offense). He was transported to the Lake County Jail with bond set at $2,000.
