Charge: DUI
A Gainesville Police Department officer noticed a vehicle was not moving despite having a green light. As the officer drove by in his patrol car, he noticed that the vehicle’s driver appeared to be leaning over her steering wheel. The officer turned around to get behind the vehicle, which then started driving between 10-15 miles per hour. The driver was weaving within her lane and driving at this slow speed before turning into a business parking lot. The officer made contact with the driver, who claimed to be lost and searching for her daughter’s apartment. The officer noted that the driver smelled of an alcoholic beverage, slurred her speech, and had bloodshot and glossy eyes.
When was asked to exit her vehicle, the driver was unsteady on her feet and swayed in a circular motion as she stood. The driver consented to field sobriety exercises and performed poorly. During the horizontal gaze nystagmus test, the driver repeatedly moved her head despite being asked to keep her head and neck still several times. During the walk and turn exercise, the driver started before being told to do so, stumbled, and did improper turns. The driver put her foot down during the one leg stand exercise and used her arms for balance. The driver was arrested for suspected DUI and following implied consent blew breath samples of 0.074g/210L and 0.070g/210L.
The driver retained Meldon Law and we were able to negotiate a reduced charge of reckless driving with alcohol with greatly reduced fines.
