A slow-moving driver was arrested at the entrance to the Village of La Zamora.
Paul Matthew Panico, 63, of Lady Lake, was driving a dark green Nissan passenger car shortly before midnight Wednesday when he was traveling at about 25 miles per hour in a 45 mph zone, according to an arrest report from the Lady Lake Police Department. The vehicle had “dark nontransparent sunscreen material on the side windows.” A traffic stop was initiated at County Road 466 at Chula Vista Avenue, at the entrance to the Village of La Zamora.
Panico had glassy eyes and constricted pupils. There was a Bud Light box in the rear seat and an open bottle of mouthwash on the front passenger seat. The New York native said he had not been drinking.
He nearly fell over during field sobriety exercises, which had to be halted for his safety.
He provided a breath sample that registered .000 blood alcohol content. He was asked if he had taken any drugs or medication and initially said he had not. He later admitted he had taken three pain pills for his leg which was “hurting.” He admitted the pills had not been prescribed for him, but were given to him by “a friend.”
Panico was arrested on a charge of driving under the influence. He was booked at the Lake County Jail on $1,000 bond.
