A Leesburg man was arrested for drunk driving after admitting he fell asleep at a Murphy USA gas pump because he got tired after drinking.
Officers responded to Murphy USA, located at 1801 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Blvd., for a well-being check around 3 p.m. Sunday, according to an arrest report from the Leesburg Police Department. An employee called because they were concerned about a black Honda Civic that had been parked at a pump for over an hour. A man, later identified as 29-year-old Jesus Rafael Guardia Chirinos, appeared to be passed out in the driver’s seat.
Upon arrival, the officers found the Honda parked very close to a gas pump. It looked like the driver’s door would not be able to fully open due to the lack of space between the vehicle and the pump. They went closer and saw Guardia Chirinos sitting with his eyes closed and head titled, the report said.
Guardia Chirinos did not respond to the officers trying to wake him up. After attempts to knock on the window and call him failed, EMS assistance was requested. One of the officers saw the passenger door was unlocked, the keys were in the ignition, the report said.
The keys were removed from the ignition while EMS personnel tried to wake Guardia Chirinos with sternum rubs. He slowly started to respond after several tries. He seemed disoriented and confused, stumbling as he stepped out of the vehicle, the report said.
An officer looked inside the vehicle and saw two open bottles of beer near the center console in plain sight. He also saw Guardia Chirinos’s eyes were red, he had difficulty standing and stumbled as he stepped. As EMS assisted him to a nearby stretcher, they asked if he had been drinking, and he said yes, the report said.
For his safety, he was not asked to participate in field sobriety exercises. He was instead detained and taken to UF Health Leesburg Hospital, located at 600 E Dixie Ave. He was questioned while there and advised that he was not driving the vehicle, the report said.
Guardia Chirinos stated he stopped at the gas station to take a nap because he did not feel well. When asked why that was, he said he was drunk and did not feel like he should have been driving. He had been drinking since the day before and stopped at 10 a.m., the report said.
He did not say how many drinks he had. He was at a party where he was given alcohol, and he started to feel sleepy after he left, the report said.
Guardia Chirinos was arrested on charge of DUI and transported to Lake County Jail. The native of Venezuela was released after posting $1,000 bond.