A registered nurse from the Village of Lake Denham was taken into custody on a drunk driving charge after reportedly crashing his vehicle after a night out in Sawgrass Grove.
According to an arrest report from the Wildwood Police Department, William Stephen Juhas, 54, was driving a blue Kia Sportage at around 10 p.m. Friday when he was involved in a traffic crash near the intersection of Windham Way and Meggison Road.
When an officer arrived on the scene, he instantly smelled alcohol coming from Juhas.
“I was coming back from Sawgrass, and we just kind of hit,” Juhas allegedly told the officer.
The Village of Lake Denham resident then expressed anxiety about his occupation, telling the officer, “I am a registered nurse in The Villages, which could be a problem for me. If I get a ticket for drinking and driving, it could be an issue.”
During the investigation, Juhas walked into the middle of the road many times and had to be told to return to the kerb. Officers noticed he was swaying back and forth and couldn’t keep his footing.
When the officer instructed Juhas to stand straight and face him to begin field sobriety exercises, Juhas allegedly spun around, faced the opposite direction, and placed his hands behind his back, indicating that he was being arrested.
He eventually decided to try the exercises but suffered greatly. The walk-and-turn exercise had to be paused because Juhas was constantly swaying, and authorities were concerned that he would fall and damage himself. He was also unable to do the one-leg stand.
Juhas was brought to the Sumter County Detention Centre after receiving medical clearance from the Brownwood Emergency Room. He supplied breath samples with 0.156 and 0.157 blood alcohol concentrations.
Juhas was arrested on a preliminary charge of driving under the influence and causing damage to another’s property. He was released on a $2,000 bond.
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