An arraignment date has been set for a Villager who crashed her golf cart after Saturday’s Christmas Parade at The Villages Polo Fields.
Karen Frances Hackett, 63, of the Village of Liberty Park is set to be arraigned Jan. 19 in Sumter County Court on charges of driving under the influence and disorderly conduct.
The former Rock Island, Ill. resident was bailed out of jail at about 11 a.m. Sunday morning by her husband who posted $2,000 bond.
She reportedly began drinking Saturday morning at the Christmas Parade. By 7:30 p.m., horrified diners at TooJay’s Gourmet Deli and Sonny’s BBQ watched as Hackett’s golf cart hit a curb, according to an arrest report from the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office. The impact knocked Hackett and a female passenger from the golf cart. The passenger suffered scraped knees and was vomiting. She was transported by ambulance to a local hospital.
EMS personnel attempted to assess Hackett’s condition, but she began yelling and cursing, including profanity aimed at President Joe Biden.
“Get me (Gov.) DeSantis!” she shouted, according to the arrest report
She also aimed her apparent anger at EMS personnel and shouted, “I’m not vaccinated!”
Hackett was transported to a local hospital where she was “belligerent” toward a nurse. Hackett was diagnosed with “alcohol intoxication.” Due to her condition, she was not asked to perform field sobriety exercises. However, she provided breath samples that registered .249 and .246 blood alcohol content.
