A drunk driving suspect has entered a plea in court after removing an IV and attempting to flee an emergency room where he was being treated after a crash.
David Oscar Wellington, 58, of Summerfield, pleaded not guilty to a charge of driving under the influence this past week in Marion County Court.
He was arrested earlier this month in connection with an accident which occurred on U.S. Hwy. 441 in Summerfield. He was found in a silver Honda Odyssey which was blocking the northbound lanes of traffic. He was transported by ambulance to the Summerfield ER.
When a Florida Highway Patrol investigator went to the ER to interview the Michigan native, the investigator learned that Wellington had removed his IV and was trying to leave the facility. Wellington was arguing with the nurses when the investigator arrived, according to an arrest report.
It appeared Wellington had been drinking, but he refused to participate in field sobriety exercises and would not provide a breath sample. He was booked at the Marion County Jail on a felony DUI charge. Bond was set at $10,000.
Wellington had previously refused to submit to DUI tests in 2017 in Gadsden County and in 2019 in Okaloosa County. In 2022 in Marion County, Wellington was arrested on a charge of driving while license suspended.