A Villager who blamed his dentures for his slurred speech has been sentenced in a drunk driving case.
Gregory Frank Gunnell, 67, of the Village of Bradford, pleaded no contest earlier this month in Lake County Court to a charge of driving under the influence. He has been placed on probation for one year and will lose his driver’s license for six months. He was also ordered to perform 50 hours of community service and get an alcohol evaluation.
He was driving a blue Ford pickup shortly before 11 p.m. Nov. 28 traveling east at the intersection of Caballero Court and Bichara Boulevard, according to an arrest report from the Lady Lake Police Department. He “peeled out” from the stop sign and made a right turn onto Bichara Boulevard. A traffic stop was initiated in the parking lot of Applebee’s restaurant. It appeared Gunnell had been drinking, although he blamed his slurred speech on his dentures. The California native agreed to participate in field sobriety exercises, however the exercises had to be modified because Gunnell has “a fake left leg,” according to the report. He performed poorly in the exercises and failed to properly touch the tip of his nose. Grunnell provided breath samples that measured .094 and .084 blood alcohol content.
