A Clermont woman was arrested on a charge of driving under the influence and wanted to talk to cops about golfer Tiger Woods’ recent DUI arrest.
Officers were at a Circle K gas pump, located at 190 N Hwy. 27, when they saw a gray Kia taking up two spots in the parking lot around 12:30 a.m. Monday, according to an arrest report from the Clermont Police Department. At the same time, 66-year-old Joan Lofton Morioka walked out of the gas station, saw law enforcement and immediately went back in.
She came out after a few seconds and staggered toward the Kia to sit in the driver’s seat. The officers started to walk toward her, but she turned on the vehicle and left the area. Concerned about a medical episode or intoxication, the officers stopped her at 7-Eleven, 189 U.S. Hwy. 27, the report said.
When speaking to Morioka, the officers noticed her eyes were glassy. The dress she wore was disheveled, with the left strap on her shoulder falling down and almost exposing her breast. She was still able to hand over her driver’s license before fumbling around for her registration, the report said.
She then advised that she was returning home, where she had been drinking wine. She smelled strongly of alcohol and perfume. She also had very slow reflexes and blinking, and she had trouble noticing that her dress strap was down past her tricep, the report said.
However, she did notice the beeping in her vehicle getting louder, so she took the keys out of the ignition and put them on the front passenger’s seat. An officer asked if she would participate in field sobriety exercises, but she stated she just wanted to go home several times. She next asked for a lawyer, to which the officer explained the consequences of not doing the exercises, the report said.
Morioka asked what to do several times, and the officer stated she had to decide for herself. She eventually agreed to do the exercises and used her left hand for balance as she stepped out of her vehicle. The officer began to explain the first exercise when she mentioned being confused about what was going on, the report said.
The officer told her the consequences of not doing the exercises again, emphasizing that she needed to make a decision. She slurred her response, talking about Tiger Woods’ previous arrest this year. She also stated that multiple people go to her place of work, Belk, smelling like marijuana, and she wondered why the police were not doing anything about it, the report said.
Morioka was arrested on charges of DUI and refusal to submit DUI testing. The Mississippi native was booked at the Lake County Jail and released after posting $2,000 bond.