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Thursday, March 28, 2024

Erratic-driving Melbourne man caught on State Road 200 charged with DUI

Timothy James Bennett

A 23-year-old Melbourne man was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol after being caught driving erratically on SW State Road 200 in Ocala.

A Marion County sheriff’s deputy was traveling west around the 8500 block behind a silver Honda when he observed it weaving into the other lane multiple times. The deputy initiated a traffic stop in the 9300 block to check the well-being of the driver, according to the sheriff’s office report.

The deputy spoke to the driver, Timothy James Bennett, who said he was OK and trying to get home. Bennett’s speech was slurred, his face was flushed, his eyes were bloodshot, and there was an odor of alcohol on his breath. When asked if he had consumed any alcoholic beverages, Bennett said he had not, the report said.

Bennett agreed to perform a series of field sobriety exercises. Right before starting, when asked again if he had consumed any alcoholic beverages, he said he drank some wine with his fiancé. Bennett then failed each of the exercises and was arrested, according to the report.

Bennett was taken without incident to the Marion County Jail, where a breath test produced levels of .104 and .101 percent – both over the legal limit of .08 percent. He was released on $500 bond and will appear in Marion County Court on July 10.