A sex offender who lives with his mother in The Villages has been sentenced in connection with a drunk driving incident at a town square.
Edward Charles Wardingley, 61, who lives at 1312 La Estrellita Way in the Village of Santiago, pleaded no contest to a charge of driving under the influence this past month in Sumter County Court. He will lose his driver’s license for six months, has been placed on probation for one year and has been ordered to perform 50 hours of community service.
Wardingley was driving a black 2008 Honda at about 9:30 p.m. Aug. 27 “erratically at a high rate of speed around the Lake Sumter Landing Square,” according to an arrest report from the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office. He had been making turns around the square before running a blinking red light at Old Mill Run and Canal Street.
Wardingley had a “strong odor of alcohol” and had “trouble standing.” He claimed he had consumed “three glasses of Chardonnay wine” while “on a date” at the Old Mill Playhouse.
He performed poorly in field sobriety exercises and finally told deputies, “I guess I’m going to jail.” He provided breath samples that registered .168 and .161 blood alcohol content.
Wardingley is already on felony probation through 2031 following his conviction in 2018 of lewd and lascivious molestation of a victim between the ages of 12 and 15. He was sentenced to three years in prison. Upon his release last year, he moved in with his mother.
