Charge: DUI
A Gainesville Police Department officer observed a driver pull out of a Gainesville bar parking lot, run over the curb, and accelerate to a high rate of speed. The driver weaved within his lane and into other lanes. The officer paced the vehicle ‘s speed at 70 mph in a 60 mph speed zone. Upon conducting a traffic stop the officer immediately noticed a strong odor of alcohol emitting from the driver’s breath. The driver appeared to have glassy, watery, bloodshot eyes. The driver agreed to perform the field sobriety exercises. During the horizontal gaze nystagmus exercise, the driver’s eyes had a lack of smooth pursuit and jerked at maximum deviation. During the walk and turn, the driver was unable to maintain his balance, took the wrong number of steps, and executed improper turns. The one leg stand and the finger to nose exercises were also poorly performed.
The driver was arrested for DUI and agreed to provide breath samples following implied consent. He blew a .154g/210L and a .151g/210L. While being transported, the driver became verbally aggressive towards the officer, making threatening statements. After hiring Meldon Law, the driver pled to a reduced charge of DUI over .08 but under .15
