A Properties of The Villages sales agent with family ties to the Morse clan has been ordered to stay away from booze after pleading no contest to a charge of reckless driving.
Daniel “Justin” Wilson, 42, son of Renee Morse who is the widow of the late Gary Morse, pleaded no contest to the lesser charge on Wednesday in Lake County Court. He has been placed on probation for one year, ordered to take part in DUI school and a victim impact panel and told to perform 25 hours of community service. He can buy out of community service at a rate of $10 per hour, according to court records. In addition, Wilson was ordered to pay $1,340 in fines and court costs. Judge Cary Rada also warned Wilson he may not consume or possess alcohol.
Wilson, who lives on Sunset Harbor Road in Summerfield, had originally been charged with driving under the influence when he was arrested Oct. 4 when a Fruitland Park police officer conducted a traffic stop just north of Leisure Living in the vicinity of Eagles Nest Road and State Road 25.
“While asking for his registration and insurance, I could smell a odor of alcohol emitting from his breath, his speech was delayed and eyes were bloodshot,” the officer wrote in the arrest report.
The officer asked Wilson if he had been drinking and Wilson said he had not.
The officer printed out a speeding citation and when he returned to Wilson’s vehicle, he asked Wilson to step out of the vehicle. Wilson declined “stating not with his kids present,” the report said. A backup officer arrived on the scene and Wilson was asked a second time to step out of the vehicle. This time he did so.
Wilson “swayed” during a standard field sobriety test. He refused to submit to a breath test or blood draw.
A female passenger in the car was “also intoxicated and unable to drive,” the report said.
Wilson’s 10-year-old son was in the car along with a 10-year-old friend.
Wilson has worked as a sales agent at Properties of The Villages for more than a dozen years. He also worked briefly for The Villages Media Group.
Wilson has been recognized for “sales excellence” and has been named “representative of the month” several times, according to his biography on the Properties of The Villages website.
