An Illinois snowbird was arrested following a golf cart crash in a tunnel in The Villages.
According to an arrest report from the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office, Romaldo Pete Villa, 68, of Hanover Park, Ill., was discovered sitting in a golf cart at the scene of the crash around 6:30 p.m. Sunday at Tunnel B-13 under Buena Vista Boulevard near the Saddlebrook Recreation Center. Villa had gotten into a fight with another person, who took the keys from his golf cart. That person contacted 911 and said Villa was “drunk.”
When a deputy arrived on the scene, Villa admitted to drinking. He was identified via his Illinois driver’s license.
Villa, who has been sleeping at the Rainey Villas in the Village of Ashland, said that he should be permitted to return to the patio villa, which was “five minutes away.”
Villa’s eyes appeared “glassy and reddened.” He “stumbled multiple times and almost fell over twice,” showing he was “struggling with balance and coordination,” according to the police report.
He declined to take field sobriety tests or produce a breath sample. He was arrested for driving under the influence. In addition, he received a ticket for an open container offense. He was booked into Sumter County Detention Center and released after paying a $1,500 bond.
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