A Lake Panasoffkee man was arrested on suspicion of DUI when his passenger admitted they came from having about four drinks at the Dirty South Saloon.
An officer responded to 2005 W. Main Street to assist a K-9 unit with the driver of a brown pickup truck, later identified as 38-year-old James Reese Copen, around 7:58 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 1, according to an arrest report from the Leesburg Police Department.
The officer with the K-9 unit advised that at about 7:50 p.m., he was traveling eastbound on Main Street near North Oakland Street when he observed a brown pickup truck veer out of the westbound lane. The driver’s side of the vehicle veered over the double yellow lines and almost hit the officer’s patrol vehicle in the eastbound lane, the report said.
Due to this clear violation and public safety concerns, the officer made a quick U-turn in preparation for a traffic stop. As he turned around, the truck swiftly turned left into a business parking lot at 2005 W. Main Street, the report said.
As the truck pulled in, Copen and the female front seat passenger rapidly got out of the vehicle and walked toward the front of the convenience store. The officer’s emergency lights were turned on at that time, and he got out to give repeated loud, clear demands for the occupants to stop. Other civilians in the area heard these commands and looked toward him, but the two occupants continued walking westbound, the report said.
The officer watched the passenger angle her body near a black trash can along the building. She appeared to be dumping something into it while preventing the officer from seeing. Once she finished, she complied and walked toward him, the report said.
Copen was still refusing, walking away instead of complying. The officer gave more commands and went toward him. Once he got closer, Copen turned around and walked back toward his parked truck, the report said.
The officer told both subjects it was a traffic stop and instructed them back to the truck. The passenger got back in, but Copen continued his noncompliance by refusing to go to the truck. He instead sat down on a bench near the building. Due to this, the officer detained him in handcuffs and sat him at the front of his patrol car to keep a watch on the passenger until backup arrived, the report said.
While the officer was near Copen, he could smell a clear and distinct odor of alcohol coming from his mouth. He also spoke with slurred speech, leading the officer to believe he might have had something in his mouth. He asked Copen if he had anything like tobacco in his mouth, to which he said no and lifted his lips to show the inside of his mouth without being asked, the report said.
Once several backup officers arrived on scene and Copen was no longer showing signs of noncompliance, the officer took the handcuffs off him. He told Copen he was still not free to leave the traffic stop investigation, the report said.
The officer went back to the storefront and looked into the trashcan the passenger stood at. It appeared to have been emptied recently, and there were only three alcoholic beverage cans resting at the bottom. The cans seemed to be freshly placed as the sides still had condensation and liquid filled the bottom of the can, the report said.
While speaking with the passenger, she told the officer that she did not put the cans in the trash. They knew they were being stopped due to Copen swerving, as she told him to be careful immediately after leaving his lane. She also stated they left the Dirty South Saloon, located at 1850 U.S. Highway 441, where they had about four drinks each, the report said.
One of the backup officers later arrived to see Copen standing with law enforcement on the scene. As he approached, he smelled alcohol coming from Copen who stated he was pulled over for no reason. He explained that everyone swerves, said people text and drive all the time, and questioned if the officers were going to find any “real criminals,” the report said.
The officer noticed Copen’s speech was slurred, leading him to ask if he would be willing to perform sobriety exercises. The passenger emerged from the side of the truck and told Copen to “refuse everything.” Copen was reminded the decision was his to make, but he refused to take part even after adverse consequences were explained, the report said.
Copen was subsequently arrested and taken to adult booking at the LPD. He later refused to submit to a breath test despite being read implied consent. His driver’s license was seized, the report said.
Copen was charged with DUI (1st/2nd offense) and transported to Lake County Jail. He was released after posting $1,000 bond.