A Villager has gotten a break in court following his arrest this past September after drinking at Red Sauce at Lake Sumter Landing.
Lawrence Harry Walsh, 79, of the Village of Springdale, pleaded no contest last week in Sumter County Court after pleading no contest to a charge of reckless driving, reduced from a charge of driving under the influence. He has been placed on probation for six months.
Walsh was driving a white 2019 Nissan Sentra in the wee hours Sept. 14 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. 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.
