A Leesburg man was arrested on a charge of driving under the influence after crashing into the back of another vehicle at a red light.
An officer responded to a traffic crash involving a black pickup truck and a Hyundai Sonata near U.S. Hwy. 27/441 and County Road 466 at 1:25 p.m. Thursday, according to an arrest report from the Lady Lake Police Department. The male complainant believed the driver of the truck, 64-year-old Richard Michael Herbert, may be impaired and was repeatedly running into the back of his car.
Upon arrival, the officer saw the truck in contact with the back of the Hyundai. Herbert was still in the driver’s seat, moving the gear lever. He was also talking to a woman who was standing by the passenger side of his truck, the report said.
This woman, a witness, saw the crash and was talking to Herbert. He was not answering appropriately, slurred his words and smelled of alcohol. He then told her that he had several drinks, the report said.
The complainant added that he was stopped at the light when the truck rear-ended him only to back up and hit him repeatedly. He was afraid if he moved his car, Herbert would drive off. When he did see Herbert, he was slumped over in the driver’s seat of his truck and speaking incoherently, the report said.
The officer shifted his attention to Herbert who was still in the truck with the engine running. He slurred his words very badly and was difficult to understand, but he complied with getting out of his vehicle. He nearly fell into the officer as he did so and could barely stand, let alone walk without assistance, the report said.
Herbert nearly fell again while walking, and the officer had to hold him up. His face was flush, his eyes were watery and he smelled strongly of alcohol. He later refused to participate in field sobriety exercises, the report said.
The officer still believed him to be impaired and took him into custody. On the way to jail, he accidentally injured himself on the handcuffs. The officer took him to AdventHealth Centra Care, located at 19015 U.S. Hwy. 441, Mt Dora, where he stated he was “buzzed,” the report said.
Herbert went on to say he met some friends at Chili’s and had a few drinks, maybe too many. He repeated several times that he messed up, and he knew it, the report said.
Additionally, a check of his driving history revealed he had three prior DUI convictions on Feb. 18, 1993, Nov. 8, 1990, and April 23, 1985, the report said.
Herbert was charged with DUI (three prior convictions), DUI with property damage and DUI (refusal to submit breath test). The Rhode Island native was transported to Lake County Jail and released after posting $13,000 bond.