A Eustis woman was arrested for drunk driving after she admitted to having several shots and a White Claw before traveling home.
An officer observed the driver of a silver Ford Mustang, later identified as 46-year-old Antonia Caridad Tracy, bouncing between the lines of a traffic lane on U.S. Highway 441 at about 1:28 a.m. Tuesday, according to an arrest report from the Leesburg Police Department.
The officer continued to watch the vehicle due to suspicions of impairment, at which point he saw the vehicle swerve in and out of its lane. This violation prompted him to initiate a traffic stop. The vehicle did not obey at first but eventually rolled into the left lane at the intersection of Highway 441 and Sleepy Hollow Road, the report said.
As the officer approached, Tracy tried to mask the smell of alcohol by lighting a cigarette. The officer was still able to detect the odor of alcoholic beverage emitting from Tracy when she out it out per his request. He also noticed that her eyes were watery and glassy, according to the report.
The officer then observed two open alcoholic beverages with straws inside on the floorboard behind the driver’s seat. He asked Tracy to hand them over, and they were cold to the touch with sweat dripping off them. This indicated that the beverages were recently refrigerated, the report said.
Because of these signs of impairment, Tracy was asked to participate in field sobriety exercises. Her performance led the officer to conclude she was driving under the influence. Breath samples taken later confirmed this with readings of .150 and .144, according to the report.
Additionally, Tracy admitted to having four shots of hard liquor and one White Claw Hard Seltzer while at a bar with friends. She stopped at a gas station on the way home and picked up the two beverages what were in her vehicle during the stop. She said she put them behind her seat so the officer wouldn’t think she was intoxicated, the report said.
The New York native was subsequently charged with DUI and issued a traffic warning for failing to drive in a single lane. She was transported to the Lake County Jail and released after posting $1,000 bond. Tracy is due to appear in Lake County Court on Oct. 11.