A Villages couple landed behind bars when their vehicle crashed into multiple golf carts after they went drinking at a restaurant at town square.
Laura Pamela Salter, 71, who lives at 2577 Privada Drive in the Village of Alhambra, was at the wheel of a black 2018 Nissan SUV at about 7 p.m. Monday when she crashed into three golf carts, pushing them from their parking spaces on Lakeshore Drive at Lake Sumter Landing. She put the SUV in reverse and sideswiped three more golf carts, according to an arrest report from the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office.
When deputies attempted to speak to the Moultrie, Ga. native, she had to lean on the SUV to maintain her balance. It appeared she was “highly intoxicated.” She struggled through field sobriety exercises and provided breath samples that registered .178 and .160 blood alcohol content.
A receipt was found in the vehicle which showed the following alcoholic drinks had been purchased at RJ Gator’s – three vodka drinks, three gin drinks and three Fireball drinks.
During the DUI investigation, Salter’s live-in boyfriend, 77-year-old Larry Pogue, attempted to persuade the deputies not to be “hard asses.” Pogue identified himself as a “veteran” who “has killed many people.” He said he believed the deputies had a certain amount of “discretion” and could use it to let Salter go. When deputies were not receptive to the idea, Pogue insulted a female deputy at the scene and asked, “Doesn’t the sheriff’s office have a weight limit policy?” When deputies attempted to take Pogue into custody, he struggled with them and pulled away.
In 2019, Pogue was arrested on charges of disorderly intoxication and resisting arrest after getting “verbally aggressive” toward employees at McCall’s Tavern at Spanish Springs Town Square. He had been arrested in 2015 after he allegedly punched a man and insulted a supporter of the LGBT community who he accused of taking his seat near the gazebo at Spanish Springs Town Square. Pogue had been arrested earlier in 2015 on a charge of disorderly intoxication at American Legion Post 347.
Salter was arrested on a charge of driving under the influence. She was booked at the Sumter County Detention Center. She was released after posting $1,000 bond.
Pogue was arrested on a charge of resisting arrest. He was booked at the jail and also released after posting $1,000 bond.
