A Leesburg woman was arrested on a charge of driving under the influence after hitting several barricades on the way home from drinking rum in Mount Dora.
A deputy spotted 25-year-old Kennedy Rae Hall driving a white Hyundai passenger car at high speeds in Leesburg at 2:20 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 30, according to an arrest report from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
The Hyundai matched the description of a suspect vehicle in a hit-and-run from the Eustis Police Department, and even now, it was unable to maintain its lane. Before the deputy even turned on emergency lights, the vehicle struck five construction barricades and came to a stop in a construction site on U.S. Hwy. 441 near the cross with Dixie Avenue, the report said.
Upon speaking with Hall, she was unable to put her car in park due to turning it off already. She tried numerous times to properly turn it on to put it in park but failed. She was subsequently asked to step out of the vehicle so other deputies could put it in park properly, the report said.
The vehicle was then confirmed to be the same one that fled from a traffic crash in the EPD’s jurisdiction. As for Hall, she slurred her words and had glassy eyes. She advised that she had two rum drinks from a car in Mount Dora but was driving from the Sorrento area to go home, the report said.
Hall also agreed to participate in field sobriety exercises but swayed throughout them. Her performance led deputies to conclude she was under the influence. She later gave breath samples of 0.106 and 0.103, the report said.
The Leesburg Police Department responded to the scene to investigate the property damage, as well. Officers estimated the damaged barricades to be worth about $100 a piece, the report said.
Hall was arrested on charge of DUI with property damage and transported to Lake County Jail. She was released after posting $2,000 bond.