A tequila-swilling Audi driver was arrested after an accident near The Villages High School.
Roberto Herrera, 34, of Ocala, was driving a black Audi SUV with Idaho license plates at about 3:30 p.m. Tuesday when he sideswiped a 2010 Dodge Charger in the area of Buffalo Trail and Belvedere Boulevard, according to an arrest report from the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office. He did not stop for the crash, but pulled into the parking lot of the The Villages High School football field.
Witnesses said the driver of the Audi had been drinking from a bottle and “swerving all over the roadway” moments before the crash.
An open bottle of Don Julio tequila was found in the front passenger seat of the vehicle. Herrera was “confused” and unable to maintain his balance. He nearly fell over during field sobriety exercises. A check revealed his driver’s license had been suspended in November due to a driving under the influence arrest.
Herrera was placed in the back of a patrol car where he began to bang his head. He was taken to Ocala Health ER at Trailwinds Village to be checked out. He was transported to the Sumter County Detention Center where he provided breath samples that registered .192 and .198 blood alcohol content.
He was arrested on charges of driving under the influence, leaving the scene of an accident and driving while license suspended. He was booked on $11,500 bond.