An Ocala man who was driving slow on S. Pine Avenue and drifting back and forth across the lanes was arrested early Sunday morning.
When a Marion County sheriff’s deputy stopped 37-year-old OBJ L. Heath, he reported that his eyes were watery and bloodshot. The deputy also reported that Heath’s speech was slow and when asked to produce his driver’s license, he started searching through his wallet, which was in his pants pocket, the report says.
Heath told the deputy he had just left work and stated that he doesn’t drink. But the deputy said he smelled a strong odor of “intoxicating beverages” coming from Heath’s breath, so he asked him to participate in field sobriety tests, the report says.
Heath was hesitant at first but then let the deputy check his eyes. But he then refused to participate in any other field sobriety tests and started yelling that he “did not even have keys” to his vehicle while being placed under arrest, the report says.
During a search of Heath’s vehicle, the deputy found the keys under the backseat. He also found a stainless steel cup on the back seat under a blanket that had a strong smell of an “intoxicating beverage” coming from it, with a small amount of liquid still in the bottom of the container, the report says.
Heath was transported to the Marion County Jail, where he refused to submit to a breath test. A criminal records search revealed that he had been convicted of driving under the influence on July 12, 2011, so he was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs (second offense).
Heath, who lives at 500 SW 33rd Ave., Apt. 92B, in Ocala, was released Sunday afternoon on $1,000 bond and his court date hasn’t yet been set, jail records show.