A 69-year-old man tried to use semantics to get out of a DUI charge, much to the delight of Internauts. While it didn’t help his cause much, at least he managed to bring a smile to frowned faces.
Earle Stevens Jr. was arrested at the end of last month in Vero Beach, an affidavit just obtained by TC Palm shows. Police responded to a possible disturbance call nearby a local McDonald’s, when a woman called 911 because someone kept bumping her in the rear of the car.
Officers arrived on the scene found that Stevens was the driver responsible for it. They stopped to talk to him and, while he was admitting to have never had a valid Florida license, they noticed an open bottle of liquor in the car.
Naturally, they asked him if he’d been drinking. He smelled of alcohol and had already informed them he was feeling “pretty good,” so they expected a positive answer. They clearly didn’t expect a lesson in semantics.
Stevens admitted that he had, in fact, been taking shots of bourbon, but they couldn’t arrest him for drinking while driving. He hadn’t taken a single sip while driving: he only imbued at traffic and stop signs, which virtually meant he was innocent.
“He further explained that he was not drinking while the car was moving and only when he stopped for stop signs and traffic signals,” the affidavit states.
Stevens further said he had been drinking “actively” this way from Port St. Lucie to Indian River County, and owned up to the fact that there were plenty of traffic signals and stop signs on that distance of the road.
To put it differently, he was drunk. Tests revealed he had a blood alcohol content of 0.153 and 0.147, way above the legal limit of 0.08. Needless to say, he was charged with DUI, which makes it his third arrest on this particular charge.
Officers arrived on the scene found that Stevens was the driver responsible for it. They stopped to talk to him and, while he was admitting to have never had a valid Florida license, they noticed an open bottle of liquor in the car.
Naturally, they asked him if he’d been drinking. He smelled of alcohol and had already informed them he was feeling “pretty good,” so they expected a positive answer. They clearly didn’t expect a lesson in semantics.
Stevens admitted that he had, in fact, been taking shots of bourbon, but they couldn’t arrest him for drinking while driving. He hadn’t taken a single sip while driving: he only imbued at traffic and stop signs, which virtually meant he was innocent.
“He further explained that he was not drinking while the car was moving and only when he stopped for stop signs and traffic signals,” the affidavit states.
Stevens further said he had been drinking “actively” this way from Port St. Lucie to Indian River County, and owned up to the fact that there were plenty of traffic signals and stop signs on that distance of the road.
To put it differently, he was drunk. Tests revealed he had a blood alcohol content of 0.153 and 0.147, way above the legal limit of 0.08. Needless to say, he was charged with DUI, which makes it his third arrest on this particular charge.