2014ctxxxxxx No Conviction as Charged

On 10/22/2014, at about 10: 49pm, a Tampa Police Officer was waiting to turn left on Kennedy Blvd. The officer then heard vehicles honking their horns on Westshore Blvd. The vehicles were honking and driving around a car that sat first in line at the green light. The Officer then turned and positioned himself behind the vehicle with his overhead lights activated. The Officer approached the driver and observed him to be sleeping at the wheel. After the Officer knocked repeatedly on the window, the driver woke up. The driver was very slow to respond to the Officer’s requests so a DUI unit was called to the scene. When the DUI investigator arrived at the scene he observed the Defendant seated in the driver’s seat. His eyes were bloodshot and glassy. The Defendant’s speech was severely slurred and had a strong odor of alcoholic beverage. The Defendant agreed to perform field sobriety exercises, but did very poorly. The Defendant exhibited a high level of impairment on the HGN, Walk and turn, One leg stand and Finger to Nose exercises. The Defendant was then placed under arrest for DUI. The Defendant was read his Miranda rights and agreed to answer questions. The Defendant claimed to not have been drinking that night, then refused to answer any further questions. The Defendant also refused to provide a breath sample. Result: The firm filed a motion to suppress and before the motion could be heard, the State dropped the DUI charge