An Okeechobee man found himself behind bars in the Marion County Jail last week after his pickup knocked down a utility pole.
A Florida Highway Patrol trooper was called to the scene of the crash Thursday that occurred on a driveway off 281 Locust Lane in Marion County. He entered the property, drove about a quarter of a mile and found a damaged white 2017 Chevrolet pickup that was pulling a white, enclosed box trailer, a FHP report states.
The trooper spoke with the driver, 39-year-old Charles Albert Jenkins, who told him that he was traveling to deliver furniture to a home on Locust Lane when his pickup left the roadway and hit the Duke Energy utility pole. The truck also damaged a chain link fence, the report says.
The trooper noted the pickup sustained heavy damage to the front left hood, bumper and grill area. There also were scrapes on the left side of the vehicle. And the trailer had a large dent to the front corner and its left-side wheel well, the report says.
While speaking with Jenkins, the trooper noted that he had bloodshot/glossy eyes; slow, slurred speech; lethargic movements; an unsteady, uncoordinated walk; and the strong odor of alcohol on his breath. And he kept changing his story about what had happened, the report says.
After being read his rights and informed that the trooper was conducting a possible driving under the influence (DUI) investigation, Jenkins agreed to participate in several field sobriety tests. After flunking all of them, he was taken into custody and transported to the Marion County Jail.
Jenkins provided two breath samples that showed 0.148 and 0.149 blood alcohol content and was then charged with two counts of DUI property damage. He also was issued citations for failure to maintain a single lane and driving with an open container of alcohol, which was determined to be vodka, the report says.
Jenkins was released Saturday at 2 a.m. on $10,000 bond. He is due in court on June 13 at 8 a.m. to answer to the charges.