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The Villages
Thursday, March 28, 2024

75-year-old Villager back behind bars after single day of freedom

Kathryn Chandler
Kathryn Chandler

A 75-year-old Villager who spent 11 days in jail this month landed back behind bars Wednesday after less than 24 hours of freedom.

Kathryn Wallace Chandler, who lives in the Quail Ridge Villas in the Village of Briar Meadow, was released at 4:45 p.m. Tuesday from the Sumter County Detention Center where she had been lodged on a probation violation. A representative from the public defender appeared in Sumter County Court on Tuesday asking for his client’s freedom. She was sentenced to time served and released from jail.

However, the Pennsylvania native was arrested the following morning when she apparently got back behind the wheel of an automobile, in defiance of a six-month suspension of her driver’s license. She was booked at 9:49 a.m. Wednesday at the jail. Bond was set at $10,000.

Chandler had been sentenced Aug. 23 to probation after an arrest on a charge of driving under the influence. Part of her sentence required her to complete three consecutive weekends with the Sumter County Work Detail program. However, she failed to show up for the work detail, leading to her Sept. 9 arrest on a probation violation. Chandler’s public defender claimed she was incapable of completing the work detail. He also said she is “insolvent.”

Chandler had been at the wheel of a black 2013 Mercedes on June 3 when she was traveling eastbound in the westbound lane of traffic on State Road 44, according to an arrest report from the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office.

“Several vehicles driving westbound on State Road 44 had to move out of the lane to avoid hitting her,” the report said.

During a traffic stop at Lake Deaton Plaza, Chandler said she was “coming from a party” where she had been dancing. Chandler said she was heading home and thought she was on U.S. 301. She said she “does not see very well at night.”

She stumbled during field sobriety exercises and tried singing the alphabet in order to the be able to recite it correctly. A half-empty bottle of Pinot Grigio wine was found in her vehicle. She provided three breath samples that registered .210, .177 and .186 blood alcohol content. A criminal history check revealed she had been convicted of drunk driving in 2013 in Sarasota.

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