A drunk driving suspect refused to provide a breath sample after a crash at Mulberry Grove Plaza in The Villages.
Jeremy Robert Powell, 31, of the Village of Sabal Chase, was involved in a crash in the wee hours of Jan. 26, according to an arrest report from the Florida Highway Patrol. Powell’s black Kia was found in the center median of the roadway. He initially claimed he “slid off the road and bumped his forehead.” Marion County Fire Rescue arrived on the scene to evaluate his medical condition.
It appeared Powell had been drinking. He refused to participate in field sobriety exercises and would not provide a breath sample. He was arrested on a charge of driving under the influence and booked at the Marion County Jail.
The Wauconda, Ill. native had been at the wheel of the same black Kia on July 4, 2021 when he was arrested on a drunk driving charge in Lake County. He was also placed on probation as a result of that arrest.
Prior to his most recent DUI arrest, Powell had been free on $4,000 bond following his Dec. 8 arrest on two counts of criminal mischief. In that instance, Powell allegedly vandalized vehicles owned by brothers Michael and Matt Hoopfer, executives with Commercial Property Management. Their vehicles had been parked at Brownwood when the alleged vandalism occurred. The Commercial Property Management Office is located at Brownwood. Michael Hoopfer is a former Community Development District 13 supervisor and his father, Bobby Hoopfer, is a supervisor on the powerful Village Center Community Development District Board. The vandalism cases are still pending in Sumter County Court.
Powell lost his job as a leasing agent at the Lofts at Brownwood after an arrest in 2023 after defecating on Michael Hoopfer’s vehicle, which had been parked at his home at Oxford Oaks. At the time, Hoopfer suggested to police that Powell’s actions might have been prompted by a romantic rivalry. Powell was placed on probation as a result of that incident.
