A 67-year-old Belleview woman spent Monday night in the Marion County Jail on a DUI charge after other drivers reported she was driving north in the southbound lane of U.S. Highway 301.
Lorraine Pezzuto Sciarrone, of 11118 SE 66th Terrace, failed a series of field sobriety tests after a Marion County sheriff’s deputy pulled her over at around 9:30 p.m. on SE 62nd Avenue. A breathalyzer test at the jail came back with readings of .073 and .070 – just short of the legal limit of .080, according to the sheriff’s office report.
The deputy responded to reports of a careless driver in a light blue KIA van. One of the reporting parties saw the vehicle turn onto U.S. 301 out of Oxford Downs, a poker room and bar in Summerfield. A second caller said they saw a light blue KIA travel north in the southbound lane and force a vehicle off the road before returning to the correct side of the road, the report said.
The deputy observed a vehicle matching that description traveling about 20 mph under the posted 55-mph speed limit. The vehicle crossed the white line on the right side of the road twice before the deputy initiated the traffic stop, according to the report.
When asked for her driver’s license, Sciarrone spontaneously said she had just left a local bar and had a few drinks, but she said she didn’t think she was over the limit. The deputy detected a faint odor of alcohol on her breath, the report said.
When told about calls from other motorists saying she was driving on the wrong side of the road, Sciarrone said isn’t used to driving. When asked if she takes any medication, Sciarrone had trouble remembering the name of one of the drugs. She then said, “I’m not drunk,” and said she wouldn’t take medication and then drink, according to the report.
Sciarrone said she drank “two double rum and cokes” over the course of about two hours at Oxford Downs. She said she waited about 10 minutes after finishing her last drink before leaving the bar. Sciarrone agreed to perform the sobriety exercises, which she failed, the report said.
Sciarrone was arrested and taken to jail without incident. During an inventory search of her purse, the deputy found a prescription bottle labeled as Alprazolam (Xanax) that contained several tablets. When asked if she took any of the pills before driving, Sciarrone said she only takes them to help her sleep and hadn’t taken any medications. She agreed to take a urine test, according to the report.
Sciarrone was released Tuesday on $1,000 bond. No court date has been set.