An 82-year-old Villager doesn’t want to leave New York to face a charge of driving under the influence in Sumter County Court.
Rodrigue Bosse of the Village of Hadley was driving a golf cart on Jan. 21 when he was involved in a crash at Colony Plaza. The Quebec, Canada native was arrested on a DUI charge. He remains free on $1,000 bond.
A trial in his case was slated for Monday, however Bosse has “relocated to New York to be cared for by his adult children,” according to a document on file in Sumter County Court. A statement from Bosse’s neurologist indicates that he would be unable to participate in the trial due to his “severe memory issues.”
Sumter County sheriff’s deputies had been called to investigate the crash involving two golf carts at Colony Boulevard and Sembler Way, the busy intersection where Walgreens and Bob Evans are located. Bosse was standing near his golf cart when deputies arrived on the scene. He “did not understand basic questions such as the area code for his phone number” and a deputy “could smell the odor of an alcoholic beverage emitting from his person while at a conversational distance,” the arrest report said. He performed poorly in field sobriety exercises and was was “unable” to complete a breath sample. He refused to provide a blood sample. In addition to the DUI arrest, he was ticketed on a charge of careless driving.
Judge Paul Militello has ruled that Bosse must show up for a “mandatory appearance” on Dec. 13 for a status conference in the case. His appearance cannot be waived by counsel.
