An intoxicated man was arrested after he was found drinking whisky at a pond located at a busy intersection in The Villages.
Sumter County sheriff’s deputies were called at about 4:30 p.m. to the landscaping pond at County Road 466 and Buena Vista Boulevard after citizens reported seeing the intoxicated man. When deputies arrived on the scene, they found 37-year-old Eric Wayne Watson of Oxford “cursing and sitting at the edge of the pond with alcoholic beverages,” according to an arrest report. Watson had three bottles of Flash Point Cinnamon Whiskey. Two were unopened and one was empty. He also had a bottle of wine. The report noted that Watson had caused two other disturbances earlier in the day in The Villages.
As he was being placed under arrest, Watson began to “loudly yell racial as well as homophobic slurs at law enforcement.” He also claimed he was “Eric Morse” and was the owner of The Villages. Watson made a similar claim in June when he was arrested at Lake Sumter Landing.
Watson was taken into custody on a charge of disorderly intoxication and booked at the Sumter County Detention Center.
Watson was arrested earlier this year at the Walmart at Buffalo Ridge Plaza in The Villages. He had been banned from the store in 2018. Watson was arrested at the same store in 2019 after stealing vodka and fishing lures. He was also arrested in 2020 after trespassing at the store.
