A Villager who is blind in one eye was arrested on a charge of driving under the influence after drinking at Red Sauce.
Lawrence Harry Walsh, 79, of the Village of Springdale, was driving a white 2019 Nissan Sentra in the wee hours Wednesday morning when he ran a stop sign at Old Mill Run and Lakeshore Drive at Lake Sumter Landing, according to an arrest report from the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office.
During a traffic stop near the entrance to the Edgewater Bungalows, the deputy suspected Walsh had been drinking. The Chicago native admitted he had consumed five beers over three and a half hours at Red Sauce at Lake Sumter Landing. He had “a yellow stain on the crotch area of his pants consistent with urine,” the report said. Walsh said he “did not know if he had urinated his pants or if the stain was beer.”
After consenting to take part in field sobriety exercise, Walsh advised the deputy he is blind in his left eye and has “difficulty seeing.” He also volunteered that he had a hip replacement 13 years ago and has issues with balance and standing on one leg. He struggled through the exercises and incorrectly recited the alphabet.
Walsh provided breath samples that registered .078 and .076 blood alcohol about one a half hours after being stopped.
“The average person’s BAC drops 0.015 per hour,” the deputy noted in the report.
Walsh was arrested on a charge of driving under the influence and issued a traffic warning for failure to stop at a stop sign. He was booked at the Sumter County Detention Center and released after posting $1,000 bond.
