A Tavares man was arrested for drunk driving after his involvement in a vehicular accident led to law enforcement noticing signs of impairment.
Police responded to a motor vehicle accident at 10601 U.S. Hwy. 441 around 6:57 p.m. Friday, according to an arrest report from the Leesburg Police Department.
Based on observations made during the crash investigation consistent with impairment, the officer requested the driver, 74-year-old John Schwellinger, participate in field sobriety exercises. He agreed to do so but had unsteady coordination, had to have instructions repeated and spoke with slurred speech. He also told the officer that “you can’t do this even if you were sober” during one of the exercises, the report said.
These signs led the officer to conclude that Schwellinger was driving under the influence. He was therefore placed under arrest for suspicion of DUI and transported to adult booking within the LPD for a breath test. However, he refused to provide a breath sample even after the consequences were explained, the report said.
Additionally, while one officer spoke to Schwellinger, another talked to the other driver involved in the accident over the phone. She advised that she saw Schwellinger driving. She also saw him exit his vehicle after the collision and did not notice anyone else in the vehicle, the report said.
The Ohio native was ultimately charged with DUI (accident/property damage) before being released from jail for posting $2,000 bond.
