A Villager has been sentenced on a drunk driving charge which came as a result of reports of reckless driving.
Michele Blocker, 72, of the Village of St. Charles, has been placed on probation for one year, will lose her driver’s license for six months and has been ordered to perform 40 hours of community service.
She was driving a 2013 Hyundai Accent at about 4 p.m. Dec 7 when she pulled out of Trailwinds Village and onto County Road 466A, according to an arrest report from the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office. When Blocker pulled onto County Road 466A, she abruptly cut into the path of another vehicle, forcing that driver to slam on her brakes. Blocker’s vehicle continued at a very slow rate of speed, impeding other traffic. When Blocker’s reached a red light at Buena Vista Boulevard, the other woman got out of her car to check on Blocker. She said she was fine and proceeded down Buena Vista Boulevard. The other driver called 911.
When Blocker reached the gate at Bailey Trail, a man approached Blocker’s vehicle and snatched her keys from the ignition. When a deputy arrived on the scene, the man handed Blocker’s keys to the deputy.
The deputy approached the New Jersey native and immediately noted her “extreme intoxication.” She said she had taken medicine for her bipolar disorder the previous evening and admitted she had been drinking. A nearly empty bottle of Platinum 7X Distilled Extra Smooth Vodka along with an unopened 500ml Black Box Chardonnay, which was still in a Publix grocery bag. There was also a four-pack box of Sutter Home Chardonnay wine inside the trunk of her car.
Blocker struggled through field sobriety exercises. She provided breath samples that registered .232 and .227 blood alcohol content.