A Village of Marsh Bend woman was arrested after drinking at Lake Sumter Landing and getting lost on the way home.
Dianne Marie Pavelek, 62, was driving a white 2009 Chevy vehicle at 8:18 p.m. Saturday when she made a left turn onto Abaco Path where she entered the cul-de-sac and made a wide turn, according to an arrest report from the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office. Her vehicle jumped the curb and drove about 15 to 20 feet into a homeowner’s lawn.
A Community Watch driver spotted the vehicle and feared the driver’s was suffering a medical episode. He pulled to the side of the vehicle on Fenwick Loop and made contact with Pavelek, who had urinated on herself.
She told the Community Watch driver she lives in the Village of Marsh Bend and asked him to follow her home. He could smell “the strong odor of an alcoholic beverage” coming from the vehicle. He called his supervisor who instructed him to contact the sheriff’s office to report a suspected drunk driver.
When a deputy arrived on the scene, Pavelek told him she was “lost and just wanted to get home,” the report said. She said she had been at The Villages Polo Fields where she “had a couple of drinks” then went to “Lake Sumter Landing square where she had more alcohol drinks and danced.” After she left the square, the New London, Conn. native got lost. She added that she had been at the square with her singles group.
The deputy invited her to participate in field sobriety exercises and asked if she had any physical conditions that might impact her performance. She said she had “tennis elbow,” but tried to show off a dance move, which caused her to fall backward. At about the time the exercises were to commence, Pavelek started to leave.
“I asked her where she was going, and she stated she was going to dance,” the deputy wrote in the arrest report.
She refused to cooperate and began to cry.
“I’m sure I’m impaired and just want to go home!” she told the deputy.
While Pavelek was being transported to the Sumter County Detention Center, she began banging her head against the partition of the patrol car. She provided breath samples that registered .233 and .230 blood alcohol content.
A check revealed she had been arrested on drunk driving charges in 2009 and 2011 in Michigan.
Pavelek was arrested on a felony charge of driving under the influence. She was booked at the jail and released after posting $5,000 bond.
