A Leesburg woman was arrested for driving without a license after being stopped for hauling a trailer without working taillights.
A deputy observed the driver of a dark pickup truck, later identified as 65-year-old Merrill Lynn Shipes, pulling a trailer southbound on State Road 471 around 6 a.m. Wednesday, according to an arrest report from the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office. Both taillights on the trailer were not on, leading the deputy to get behind the vehicle to check the tag.
The deputy proceeded to conduct a traffic stop on the vehicle and explained his reasoning to Shipes, the report said. When he asked for her driver’s license, she stated she did not have it with her. He asked if she had a Florida license to which she stated, “I do, but it’s suspended.”
The deputy instead asked Shipes for her name and date of birth before returning to his vehicle. Using this information, he ran a check and confirmed that her license had been suspended since Feb. 2011 for DUI. It had also been revoked since Aug. 1990 and cancelled in Feb. 2011. She had one previous license suspension from May 2008 in Lake County, the report said.
Shipes was ultimately arrested for driving while license revoked (second offense). She was transported to the Sumter County Detention Center and released after posting $500 bond.
