A Vietnamese-speaking drunk driving suspect admitted he had been drinking Heineken beer prior to a traffic stop.
Tuan Thanh Pham, 68, of Lady Lake, was driving a red Toyota Camry in the wee hours Monday morning on South Main Street in Wildwood when an officer noticed the vehicle was swerving, according to an arrest report from the Wildwood Police Department.
During a traffic stop, Pham claimed he was “tired.” His wife, who was a passenger in the car, volunteered to drive in place of her husband. Pham spontaneously uttered, “I’m drunk.”
The officer used a translation tool to provide Pham, a native of Vietnam, a Miranda Warning in his native Vietnamese language. He claimed he had consumed one Heineken beer. He was in possession of a receipt from Publix indicating he had purchased an 18-pack of Heineken beer.
“Yes, I party,” he told the police officer.
He added that he had been drinking because his cousin was in town.
Pham provided breath samples which registered .093 and .092 blood alcohol content.
He was arrested on a charge of driving under the influence and booked at the Sumter County Detention Center. He was released after posting $500 bond.
