A 28-year-old man was arrested early Wednesday morning on a charge of driving under the influence after telling law enforcement he had taken Ambien before getting behind the wheel of a pickup truck.
A pickup driven by Damian Justin Summers of Leesburg was spotted traveling at a high rate of speed at about 1 a.m. at the intersection of County Road 25 and U.S. Hwy. 27/441 in Fruitland Park, according to an arrest report from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office. A deputy radioed Lady Lake police to let them know that the truck was headed their direction. The truck was not maintaining a single lane and drove right past two Lady Lake police vehicle which had their emergency lights activated, the report indicated. Summers finally parked the truck in the parking lot of a medical plaza on Rolling Acres Road where it had jumped the curb.
There were two pills on the center console and two empty bottles of Redd’s Apple Ale on the floor of the truck. Summers said he had two pills in his pocket and said he had taken Ambien at about 7 to 8 p.m. that evening.
When a deputy advised Summers that Ambien is a sleeping medication that should not be taken before driving, Summers said he was aware of that but that “circumstances change.” Summers said he was going “to help a friend.”
An empty bottle of Captain Morgan rum and an unopened bottle of Bacardi rum were also found in the truck. He provided a breath sample that registered 0.00. He then provided a urine sample as requested.
As he was being booked at the Lake County Jail, staff noticed abrasions on Summers’ knee and cheek. Summers was transported to Florida Waterman Hospital where he was evaluated. He was given a tetanus shot and released back into the custody of deputies.
A check of his history showed an arrest in 2014 in Orange County on a DUI charge.
He was released after posting $2,000 bond.