A recreation supervisor in The Villages has entered a plea to a drunk driving crash in the wake of a crash in The Villages.
Kristen Michelle Wygand, 35, who serves as the recreation supervisor at the Sterling Heights Recreation Center, pleaded not guilty this past week in Sumter County Court to a charge of driving under the influence. She remains free on $2,000 bond.
According to the arrest report, the Sumter County Communications Center received an automated 911 call from the OnStar system inside Wygand’s 2023 Chevrolet Traverse at 11:36 p.m. June 16. Deputies responded to the area of County Road 466 and Buena Vista Boulevard, where they found the SUV facing south in the eastbound lanes.
The vehicle had sustained significant damage, with the entire front driver’s-side wheel assembly separated from the suspension. A black light pole in the grassy median had been struck and shattered into several pieces, scattering landscaping materials and vehicle debris across the roadway.
Wygand, who was the sole occupant of the vehicle, was uninjured despite the airbag deploying. She initially told deputies she did not know what happened, but later claimed she swerved to avoid “something” in the roadway.
Deputies noted a strong odor of alcohol on her breath, bloodshot and glassy eyes, and dilated pupils. Wygand told deputies she was returning from a work softball game and had gone to dinner at an Outback Steakhouse, where she claimed to have consumed “only one” glass of white wine.
Following poor performances on a series of field sobriety exercises, deputies searched her vehicle and found an open, empty 187ml bottle of Sutter Home Sauvignon Blanc wine inside the center console.
Wygand was transported to the Sumter County Detention Center, where she provided breath samples that registered .187 and .184 blood alcohol content—more than twice the legal limit.
Originally from New York, Wygand lives in Middleton with her husband and daughter. According to her professional biography, she has a background in customer service and hospitality and enjoys visiting Disney. She apparently has a side gig, working as a self-employed Disney travel advisor.