A Village of Osceola Hills man will face an arraignment later this month after his arrest on a drunk driving charge.
David John Merritt, 45, was arrested Easter Sunday after his maroon 2011 Lincoln MKZ was found on the grassy median of U.S. Hwy. 27, according to an arrest report from the Leesburg Police Department.
An officer approached Merritt and asked if he was suffering a medical emergency. He said he was traveling from Georgia to The Villages and had stopped to use his cell phone. It appeared he had been drinking.
An open box of Black Box Sauvignon Blanc, about one-third consumed, was found in the vehicle’s center console.
Merritt struggled through field sobriety exercises and provided breath samples that registered .243 and .232 blood alcohol content.
A criminal history check revealed he was convicted in 2001 of driving under the influence in Miami-Dade County. He was also convicted of driving under the influence in 2006 in Los Angeles, Calif.
He was arrested on a charge of driving under the influence. He was booked at the Lake County Jail and released after posting $5,000 bond.
He is due for arraignment April 23 in Lake County Court.
