A convicted sex offender in The Villages will lose his driver’s license as the result of an arrest for driving under the influence while at the wheel of a golf cart.
James Lee Ballard, 60, of the Village of Alhambra, pleaded no contest to a charge of driving under the influence last month in Sumter County Court. He will lose his license for one year and has been ordered to perform 50 hours of community service.
Ballard was driving a golf cart westbound on El Camino Real at about 9:30 p.m. Feb. 15. Golf carts are not allowed to travel on that roadway, according to an arrest report from the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office. When a deputy pulled him over, Ballard was “apologetic” and said he was simply trying to get home. He provided his Florida identification card and appeared to have been drinking.
He struggled through field sobriety exercises and refused to provide a breath sample. Ballard was previously convicted of a DUI in Marion County in 2021.
In 2019, Ballard was arrested in Alachua County after molesting a young boy who was in his Bible studies class. He was accused of having oral sex with the child, who was younger than 12 at the time, and was ultimately convicted of two counts of lewd or lascivious conduct. Prior to that arrest, Ballard had worked as a substitute teacher and health clinic assistant for the Marion County School Board.