A Villager who admitted he had taken hydrocodone for back pain was arrested after he was driving dangerously near an entry gate.
Paul Joseph Barcomb, 60, who lives with his father in the Village of Santo Domingo, was driving a gray Ford pickup at about 2 p.m. Monday when he made a wide turn and drove up onto a median, according to an arrest report from the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office. The vehicle went on to make another wide turn near the guard shack at the El Camino Real entrance to the Village of Santo Domingo. The truck’s driver’s side mirror hit the entry pad at the gate.
A deputy feared Barcomb was suffering a medical episode and initiated a traffic stop. The deputy noticed the truck’s front driver’s side tire was “shredded.”
Barcomb’s speech was “slow and sluggish” and it appeared he might be impaired. The New York native admitted he had taken hydrocodone for “back issues.” He said he takes hydrocodone four times day.
He was invited to take part in field sobriety exercises, but Barcomb advised the deputy he has “bad knees, and a bad back, and had previously suffered from strokes.” He was unable to maintain his balance during the exercises and was unsteady on his feet.
A breath sample registered .000 blood alcohol content and Barcomb agreed to provide a urine sample.
An inventory of the truck prior to towing turned up a pill bottle, which held multiple pills, including Trazodone Hydrochloride and Trazodone, which are anti-depressants.
He was arrested on charges of driving under the influence and possession of drugs without a prescription. He was booked at the Sumter County Detention Center on $700 bond.
