A Leesburg man was arrested for DUI after hitting two vehicles with fentanyl on his person and acting erratically afterward.
Officers responded to a vehicle crash in the area of 9449 U.S. Hwy. 441 and College Drive around 10:40 a.m. Friday, according to an arrest report from the Leesburg Police Department. Upon arrival, they met with 33-year-old Andrew Vincent Frank and two other drivers.
The two drivers advised that they were traveling east on the highway and were both stopped in traffic waiting for the light to turn green. While doing so, Frank struck the second driver, who was stopped in the middle lane. He then struck the third driver, who was stopped in the far-right lane. Both drivers believed he was under the influence of something but could not specify if it was narcotics or alcohol, the report said.
As the officer spoke to the drivers, he noticed Frank was on the phone, acting nervous and erratic. He heard Frank yell out numerous times for his father to come get him. It was later discovered he had gone into a local business just before law enforcement got there, but it could not be determined if he had thrown anything out, the report said.
An officer proceeded to speak with Frank who stated he was traveling east on the highway, and his brakes were causing him issues. While approaching the light, his brakes began to “lock up” and made his vehicle go out of control, the report said.
The officer noticed Frank’s mood immediately changed during their interaction. His eyes appeared to be low, and his body was covered in extensive amounts of sweat. His speech was slurred, as well, the report said.
Other officers spoke with an independent witness who advised that he was traveling behind Frank for quite some time. He noticed he was entering in and out of multiple lanes. He grew concerned and informed the LPD of the matter, the report said.
While he was on the phone with dispatchers, he saw Frank switch from the far-left lane to the far-right lane. He then saw Frank’s bumper strike the second driver’s center bumper and later the third driver’s left rear bumper, the report said.
Once the crash investigation was over, the officers began a DUI investigation into Frank. He agreed to participate in field sobriety exercises, during which he swayed and continuously stated he was nervous. He was determined to be impaired and arrested, the report said.
Soon after, the officers searched Frank and found a small clear bag with 0.5 grams of fentanyl. He then stated he could not breathe and asked for medical attention. EMS took him to UF Health Leesburg Hospital, located at 600 E Dixie Ave., where he later agreed to a blood test, the report said.
Frank was ultimately charged with possession of fentanyl and DUI (accident/property damage or minor injury). The Connecticut native was transported to Lake County Jail with bond set at $10,000.