An arrest report has revealed that a 75-year-old Villager drove her Mercedes to a probation office leading to another trip to the jail after less than 24 hours of freedom.
Kathryn Wallace Chandler, who lives in the Quail Ridge Villas in the Village of Briar Meadow, was reclassified to “no bond” status on Thursday at the Sumter County Detention Center. She had originally been booked on $10,000 bond following her arrest Wednesday on a charge of driving while license suspended.
She had been released Tuesday afternoon from the jail after spending 11 days behind bars on a probation violation. On Wednesday morning, the Pennsylvania native drove her black Mercedes to the probation office in Bushnell. A probation officer noticed that Chandler got into the vehicle and drove away, despite the fact that last month a judge had suspended her license for 180 days in connection with a drunk driving arrest. The probation officer verified that a hardship license had not been issued to Chandler and then called law enforcement to report that she was driving on a suspended license. She was arrested a few minutes later.
Chandler had been sentenced Aug. 23 to probation after an arrest on a charge of driving under the influence. Part of her sentence required her to complete three consecutive weekends with the Sumter County Work Detail program. However, she failed to show up for the work detail, leading to her Sept. 9 arrest on a probation violation. Chandler’s public defender claimed she was incapable of completing the work detail. He also said she is “insolvent.”
Chandler had been at the wheel of the black 2013 Mercedes on June 3 when she was traveling eastbound in the westbound lane of traffic on State Road 44, according to an arrest report from the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office.
“Several vehicles driving westbound on State Road 44 had to move out of the lane to avoid hitting her,” the report said.
During a traffic stop at Lake Deaton Plaza, Chandler said she was “coming from a party” where she had been dancing. Chandler said she was heading home and thought she was on U.S. 301. She said she “does not see very well at night.”
She stumbled during field sobriety exercises and tried singing the alphabet in order to the be able to recite it correctly. A half-empty bottle of Pinot Grigio wine was found in her vehicle. She provided three breath samples that registered .210, .177 and .186 blood alcohol content. A criminal history check revealed she had been convicted of drunk driving in 2013 in Sarasota.
