A New Jersey woman who drank margaritas at a Chili’s restaurant in The Villages was charged with drunk driving after a traffic crash.
Kathleen Ackerly, 50, of Boonton Township, N.J., was involved in the accident at about 7 p.m. Friday at U.S. Hwy. 27/441 at Avenida Central, according to an arrest report from the Lady Lake Police Department.
The Villages Public Safety Department responded to the scene and checked out Ackerly, who “seemed to have no memory” of the crash. She stood up, but fell back down to the ground.
An officer asked Ackerly if she had been drinking.
“Maybe I drank too much,” she said.
She said she had consumed two margaritas while at Chili’s on Avenida Central.
She agreed to take part in field sobriety exercises, but “stumbled and almost fell while turning.” Ackerly provided breath samples that registered .22 and .21 blood alcohol content.
Ackerly was arrested on a charge of driving under the influence. She was also ticketed for following too closely, no proof of insurance and failure to display registration. She was booked at the Lake County Jail and released after posting $2,000 bond.
