A Fruitland Park man was arrested on a charge of driving under the influence after he was stopped for speeding.
An officer observed 40-year-old Calvin Cooper run a stop sign in a silver SUV at 2:20 a.m. June 28, according to an arrest report from the Eustis Police Department. As he caught up to the vehicle, it was traveling over 50 mph in the 30-mph zone on North Grove Street.
Although the vehicle did not leave the left lane, its driving pattern was consistent with that of someone possibly intoxicated ot under the influence. The vehicle approached the intersection with County Road 452, where it put on its left-turn signal and swerved into the State Road 19 turn lane. It immediately and abruptly diverted back into the left lane, staying there while signaled to turn onto County Road 452, the report said.
The light turned green, and the vehicle turned left onto County Road 452. The officer subsequently stopped the vehicle and spoke with its two occupants, Cooper and a passenger. They were actively smoking a cigar that filled the cabin of the vehicle and masked the odor of alcohol on their breath, the report said.
Several more officers arrived on scene, including a K-9 unit that positively alerted to the odor of narcotics within the vehicle. A search of the vehicle yielded nothing, although the officer found a styrofoam cup in the backseat floorboard. A small amount of brown liquid at the bottom smelled like pungent liquor, the report said.
In the front passenger-seat area, an officer located ice cubes, still semi-frozen. The cup holder contained an open 12-oz can of Tropical Edition Red Bull. Another officer reached under the driver’s seat and noticed his latex glove was soaking wet with a cold liquid that smelled strongly of liquor, the report said.
Law enforcement determined that whatever was in the styrofoam cup had been dumped between the driver’s seat and the center console. The officers told Cooper that they believed he was under the influence, and he initially agreed to let them look at his eyes for indicators of alcohol consumption. He did not keep his head still and became visibly irritated when an officer repeatedly told him to keep his head straight, the report said.
Cooper ultimately refused to participate in field sobriety exercises or to provide a breath sample. He invoked his right to remain silent, refusing to answer any questions, the report said.
He was arrested on charges of DUI and refusal to submit to DUI testing. He was booked at the Lake County Jail and released after posting $2,000 bond.