A Leesburg woman was arrested for driving under the influence after admitting to drinking several Twisted Tea alcoholic beverages.
Police observed the driver of a white Ford Crown Victoria, later identified as 25-year-old Jessica Ann Benton, veering into the center lane from the lefthand lane on U.S. Hwy. 27/441 at about 1:42 a.m. Wednesday, according to an arrest report from the Fruitland Park Police Department.
As the officer attempted to catch up with the vehicle, he observed it continuing to travel southbound at a higher speed than the motorcycle in the next lane, the report said. He paced the vehicle as going 60 miles per hour in a 45-mph zone for about one mile. Additionally, the vehicle continued to touch the left-hand lane with the left tires and drifted into the center lane multiple times.
The officer conducted a traffic stop, the report said. Upon approaching the driver’s side of the vehicle, he noticed a strong odor of alcoholic beverage emitting from within. He observed Benton to have constricted pupils, and her eyes appeared to be watery, glossy and bloodshot. The odor of alcohol became stronger as he began speaking to her.
When asked if she had any alcohol that evening, Benton advised she had one to two beers. The report noted that later in the interaction when asked how many and what kind of alcohol she drank, Benton said she consumed around three to four Twisted Teas starting at 9 p.m. with her last drink being around 11 p.m. She began to cry multiple times throughout the encounter.
At that point, Benton was asked to participate in field sobriety exercises, to which she agreed. She stepped out of the vehicle with both feet first, using the door and vehicle for support. She was slow to walk to the roadside. She also appeared dazed and unsteady, and she slurred her words and stuttered at times, the report said.
Benton advised she had mobility and balance trouble as the exercises began, the report said. She stated her highest level of education was high school, but she could not recite her alphabet from E to V without singing. So, she recited the beginning letters in a whisper and continued to sing once she reached E, completing the song all the way to Z. When asked to count backwards from 72 to 58, she missed 70 by going from 71 to 69 and did not stop until 55.
Due to this and Benton’s performance during the exercises, the officer concluded she was driving under the influence. She was placed under arrest and transported to the Lake County Jail. Several times during the trip, Benton advised she was not drunk and demanded the officer let her go if she blew under the legal limit. The officer explained multiple times that it is possible to be intoxicated even if blowing under a .08. She also asked to urinate several times despite being given an answer already, the report said.
Once at the jail, Benton consented to a breath test to determine the alcoholic content of her breath. The samples resulted in 0.153g/210L and 0.147g/210L. She refused to speak to the officer after this was done, the report said.
The Iowa native was ultimately charged with DUI with a mandatory court date of Aug. 22. She was also issued a traffic citation for speeding and two other written warnings. Benton was released from jail after posting $1,000 bond.
