An Oxford Oaks woman has escaped a drunk driving charge after drinking beer at Cody’s Original Roadhouse in The Villages.
Sandra Jewell Vilmer, 69, who lives at 11213 Roz Way, entered a plea of no contest May 31 to a reduce charge of reckless driving in Sumter County Court. She was ordered to pay fines and court costs in the amount of $431.
Vilmer had originally faced a charge of driving under the influence.
She had been driving a red Nissan at about 1:30 a.m. Jan. 19 on U.S. 301 just south of Oxford Oaks when an officer noticed her headlights were not illuminated, according to an arrest report from the Wildwood Police Department. She told the officer she had not been aware her lights were off.
During the traffic stop, the officer noticed that Vilmer’s eyes were bloodshot and “she was slow to respond.”
Vilmer told the officer she had been at Cody’s in The Villages, although the arrest report did not specify which location. She said “she consumed approximately four, eight-ounce beers with the last one being an hour before our interaction,” the report said. She added she had driven from Cody’s to the traffic stop without noticing her headlights were not activated.
A clear plastic cup was found in her vehicle’s center cup holder with a liquid residue with “the odor of cinnamon whiskey,” the report said.
She refused to participate in field sobriety exercises, blaming a “bum” knee.