A Villager has lost his driver’s license after a crash near the Morse Gate.
Michael Latourette, 66, who lives on the Historic Side of The Villages, pleaded no contest to a charge of driving under the influence this past week in Sumter County Court. He will lose his driver’s license for six months, has been placed on probation for one year and has been ordered to perform 80 hours of community service.
Latourette was driving a Ford Mustang when he was involved in the two-vehicle crash at about 8 p.m. Nov. 8 at the intersection of County Road 466 and Morse Boulevard, according to an arrest report from the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office.
A witness told deputies that Latourette was northbound on Morse Boulevard when he ran a red light and collided with a southbound Hyundai as it turned left from Morse Boulevard. After the collision, the witness ran toward Latourette’s Mustang and found him “unconscious and slumped forward.” EMS Personnel arrived on the scene and treated injuries to his head and left hand. After he got out of the vehicle, he lost his balance and nearly fell over.
The native New Yorker indicated he had been at the Havana Recreation Center. He also said he had been golfing earlier in the day. He admitted he had been drinking.
A cup was found in his vehicle and it contained a liquid that was determined to be liquor.
Deputies invited him to participate in field sobriety exercises.
“I’m gonna pass on that because I already know I had a few too many!” Latourette said.
He agreed provided breath samples which registered .173 and .166 blood alcohol content.
A criminal history check revealed that Latourette has two previous convictions for driving under the influence.