A Village of Silver Lake man found himself behind bars early Sunday morning after a night out with his buddy at a Belleview tavern and Ocala strip club.
A Belleview police officer stopped 60-year-old Stephen Ronald Karpovich in the 5000 block of Abshier Blvd. late Saturday night after seeing his silver Ford Ranger pickup cross the center line and almost collide with another vehicle. Karpovich told the officer he was talking with his passenger and “not paying attention,” a sheriff’s office report states.
The officer reported that Karpovich’s eyes were bloodshot and he spoke with slurred speech. The officer also noted a strong smell of an alcoholic beverage coming from inside Karpovich’s vehicle. When asked he if had been drinking, Karpovich said he had consumed two beers at the Fox Crossing Tavern in Belleview earlier that afternoon, the report says.
Karpovich agreed to participate in field sobriety exercises but told the officer he had suffered a back injury in the past and didn’t have his glasses with him. But he admitted that he is capable of walking around a grocery store without assistance, the report says.
Karpovich struggled through field sobriety exercises and even started laughing at one point. The officer explained the severity of the investigation and Karpovich asked if his passenger could drive him home. The officer explained again that he was conducting a DUI investigation and the passenger could not just drive him home, the report says.
At one point during the field sobriety tests, Karpovich asked the officer if he would “cut the passenger loose” and “let’s go.” When asked if he would attempt the exercise, he responded that he was “under the influence” and didn’t want to continue, the report says.
Karpovich’s passenger admitted to the officer that the duo had been drinking at the Fox Crossing Tavern and the Body Shots gentleman’s club. He then called a friend to come pick him up and drive Karpovich’s vehicle, the report says.
Karpovich was placed under arrested and transported to the Marion County Jail, where he provided breath samples showing .148 and .144 blood-alcohol content. After being read his rights, he told the officer he had consumed two beers at his Villages home and two more at the tavern. He said he stopped drinking about 10 p.m. and left Body Shots about 20 minutes before he was stopped.
Karpovich, who originally is from California and lives at 1002 Linda Lane on the Historic Side of The Villages, was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. He was released early Sunday afternoon on $1,000 bond and his next court date hasn’t yet been set, jail records show.