A 79-year-old Villager will lose his driver’s license after blacking out before a rear-end collision.
Ronald Bassett Ryan, of the Village of Santiago, had been at the wheel of a silver Lincoln MKZ at 8:40 p.m. Nov. 27 when his vehicle struck the rear end of another vehicle at the intersection of Morse Boulevard and County Road 466, according to an arrest report from the Florida Highway Patrol. Ryan told an FHP investigator he had been at the American Legion and had one bourbon. He said he blacked out and was unsure of what happened.
He failed field sobriety exercises and provided breath samples that registered .108 and .105 blood alcohol content.
Earlier this month in Sumter County Court, Ryan entered a plea of no contest in the case. He will lose his driver’s license for six months and has been placed on probation for one year. He also has been ordered to perform 80 hours of community service.