A drunk driving suspect made matters worse for himself by attempting to bribe the police officers who arrested him.
Amado Cordova Izaguirre, 35, of Fruitland Park, was stopped in the early morning hours on Wednesday when his truck with Georgia license plates traveled back and forth between lane dividers and the curb on Citrus Boulevard in Leesburg.
An officer who initiated a traffic stop suspected Izaguirre had been drinking and invited him to participate in field sobriety exercises, according to the arrest report from the Leesburg Police Department. Izaguirre, who primarily speaks Spanish, said he “did not know what those were,” the report said.
A Spanish-speaking officer from the Fruitland Park Police Department was called to the scene to provide translation.
There were multiple bottles of Corona beer in Izaguirre’s truck. He said he had consumed three beers in addition to taking Clonazepam.
He provided breath samples that registered .142 and .139 blood alcohol content.
During the breath test, Izaguirre asked the Spanish-speaking officer to “help him out Hispanic to Hispanic,” the report said.
“What do I have to do to make this test appear negative?” Izaguirre asked.
He offered the officer $1,000 to let him leave and then increased the offer to $2,000.
Izaguirre was arrested on charges of driving under the influence and attempting to bribe a public servant. He was booked at the Lake County Jail and released after posting $11,000 bond.