A Umatilla man was arrested when a coworker called the police on him for driving drunk on Natural Ice beers.
A coworker of 53-year-old Donald Scott Schoen called the police to report his reckless driving in a black Ford Taurus at 7:40 a.m. Friday, Feb. 27, according to an arrest report from the Leesburg Police Department. He told dispatchers that Schoen had driven him around while drunk with open containers in the vehicle. He had also run a stop sign in the downtown area near Main Street.
An officer then spotted the truck, and although he did not notice anything unusual, he conducted a traffic stop at the entrance to the Palm Ridge mobile home park at 1806 Timber Ridge Circle. As he spoke to Schoen, he immediately detected the strong smell of alcohol coming from his breath and inside his vehicle, the report said.
His eyes were bloodshot and watery, as well, and his speech slurred slightly. His movements looked slow and deliberate. He still denied drinking any alcohol and agreed to participate in field sobriety exercises, the report said.
Schoen took an unsteady stance when he got out of the vehicle and used the door for balance. He proceeded to sway his way through the exercises, which led the officer to conclude he was under the influence. The officer later found an open cold-to-the-touch Natural Ice beer under the driver’s seat, the report said.
A subsequent check of Schoen’s driving history revealed two prior DUI convictions within the last 10 years, the report said.
Schoen ultimately refused to take a breath test or to sign a citation, the report said.
He was arrested on charges of DUI (third conviction less than 10 years), refusal to submit to DUI breath or urine test and refuse to sign citation. He was booked at the Lake County Jail.