A drunk driving suspect was arrested after deliberately ramming a Lake County Road Department gate with his pickup truck.
A Sumter County Sheriff’s Office detective in an unmarked car spotted the truck Wednesday night ramming the gate at 5328 Marion County Road in Lake County. The detective contacted the Lake County Sheriff’s Office and a deputy soon arrived on the scene.
The driver of the pickup was identified as 23-year-old Coy Daniel Dowless, of Weirsdale. He told the deputy that he had rammed the gate because he wanted to “go out into the field and so some burnouts in the grass with his truck.” He said he knew it was a county-owned gate and claimed to have worked for the county road department.
His eyes were bloodshot and glossy and he could not stand up straight, the report said. Two empty alcohol bottles were found in his truck and a third bottle was found near the vehicle.
Dowless was arrested on charges of criminal mischief and driving under the influence. He was booked at the Lake County Jail and released after posting $3,000 bond.
