A resident of The Villages who was wearing a shoulder brace was arrested after an intoxicated brawl with his live-in gal pal.
Wildwood police were called at about 10 p.m. Saturday to the 7-Eleven at the intersection of State Road 44 and U.S. 301 to investigate a report of man in a shoulder brace involved in an altercation with a woman. He was reportedly pulling her hair, according to an arrest report from the Wildwood Police Department.
A witness told police the man had gone into the 7-Eleven and attempted to use an ATM. He was swaying and fell into the ATM. The man asked his female companion about the debit card he had tried to use. The couple walked outside and the witness heard “screaming.” The man got into the SUV and drove to another convenience store, but returned and tried to force the woman into the vehicle, the witness told police.
Law enforcement officers found 53-year-old Richard Sudantas, who lives in the Cliff Villas in the Village of Monarch Grove, who appeared to be intoxicated.
The Illinois native said he and the woman had been drinking at Blue Fin Grill & Bar at Brownwood Paddock Square and went to the 7-Eleven “to get gas and a drink,” the report said.
“I’m drunk,” he told police. “I’m not capable of driving.”
He claimed he and his female companion had only had a verbal argument.
He provided breath samples that registered .159 and .146 blood alcohol content.
Sudantas was arrested on charges of driving under the influence and battery. In his mugshot, he is clearly wearing a shoulder brace. He was booked at the Sumter County Detention Center on $4,000 bond.
In 2021, while living in Homer Glen, Ill. Sudantas was arrested in Will County, Illinois on two counts of domestic battery.
