An Illinois snowbird was arrested after a golf cart crash in a tunnel in The Villages.
Romaldo Pete Villa, 68, of Hanover Park, Ill., was found seated in a golf cart at the scene of the crash at about 6:30 p.m. Sunday at Tunnel B-13 under Buena Vista Boulevard near the Saddlebrook Recreation Center, according to an arrest report from the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office. Villa had gotten into an argument with another individual who snatched the keys out of Villa’s golf cart. That person called 911 and reported that Villa was “drunk.”
When a deputy arrived on the scene Villa admitted he had been drinking. He was identified by his Illinois driver’s license.
Villa, who has been staying at the Rainey Villas in the Village of Ashland, argued that he should be allowed to return to the patio villa, which was “five minutes away.”
Villa’s eyes were “glassy and reddened.” He “stumbled multiple times and almost fell over twice,” indicating he was “struggling with balance and coordination,” the deputy wrote in the arrest report.
He refused to participate in field sobriety exercises and refused to provide a breath sample. He was arrested on a charge of driving under the influence. He was also ticketed for an open container violation. He was booked at the Sumter County Detention Center and released after posting $1,500 bond.