An Ohio man who owns a home in The Villages was injured and arrested after he crashed a golf cart into a fence while allegedly driving highly intoxicated.
William Louis Galloway, 67, is facing a charge of driving under the influence following the crash, which occurred shortly after 9 p.m. Saturday near the intersection of Morse Boulevard and Deskin Lane in the Village of Osceola Hills.
According to an arrest report from the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office, a 911 caller reported that a silver golf cart had struck multiple curbs and was traveling on the wrong side of the designated cart path before ultimately colliding with a fence. The impact ejected Galloway from the golf cart onto the asphalt.
Despite suffering extensive “road rash” abrasions to his face and knees, Galloway climbed back into the golf cart and attempted to put it in reverse to flee the scene. Concerned for the safety of others because Galloway appeared highly intoxicated, the witness reached in and snatched the keys from the ignition. Galloway reportedly begged the caller not to involve the police, pleading that he lived nearby. The witness held onto the keys and handed them over to arriving paramedics.
When a deputy arrived, she found Galloway seated in the driver’s seat. She noted he had his left arm in a medical sling, an injury he claimed he sustained when he fell off a roof two weeks prior. The deputy detected a strong odor of alcohol and observed that Galloway had bloodshot, glassy eyes, slurred speech and a blank stare.
Because of his injured arm, Galloway performed a limited battery of field sobriety exercises. He struggled to follow simple instructions, swayed noticeably and could not correctly recite the alphabet.
He was transported to the Sumter County Detention Center, where he provided two breath samples that both registered a .210 blood alcohol content — more than two and a half times Florida’s legal limit of .08.
A records check revealed Galloway’s Ohio driver’s license was already suspended for a prior DUI conviction, for which he is currently serving misdemeanor probation.
Galloway, who was identified by his Ohio driver’s license, has owned a home in the Village of Osceola Hills since 2016. He receives the property tax bill at his primary home in Valley City, Ohio.
He was booked at the Sumter County Detention Center and released after posting $500 bond.