A Citra man who was driving almost 20 mph under the speed limit, swerving and running off the road was arrested earlier this week.
A Marion County sheriff’s deputy on Monday was patrolling in the Silver Springs area on NE 36th Avenue when spotted a Gray Chevrolet SUV traveling 27 mph in a 45 mph speed zone. He got behind the vehicle and watched it travel from the double yellow lines to the white fog line several times, a sheriff’s office report states.
The deputy said the driver, later identified as 34-year-old Timmy Lee Harris, was varying his speed before he ran off the road and started driving in the grass. The deputy said he feared for Harris’ safety and the possibility of him being intoxicated, so he initiated a traffic stop, the report says.
The deputy made contact with Harris and smelled the odor of alcohol in the vehicle. Harris admitted he had been drinking beer and didn’t have a driver’s license. In fact, he told the deputy, he had never possessed a license, the report says.
After confirming that Harris had only ever been issued an identification card, the deputy decided to conduct field sobriety tests. At the completion of the tests, he determined that probable cause didn’t exist to charge Harris for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. But he did take him into custody for driving without a valid license and then transported him to the Marion County Jail.
Harris, who lives at 2665 NW 134th St. in Citra, was released Tuesday night and is due in court Nov. 13 at 1:30 p.m.