A 22-year-old Ocoee man said he was on his way from Wildwood to Orlando when he was pulled over for driving erratically in Ocala and charged with DUI.
At around 4:30 p.m. Monday, a Marion County sheriff’s deputy observed a black vehicle traveling north on the 8300 block of South Highway 441 at 35 mph in a posted 55-mph zone, in the left traveling lane and causing other traffic to be impeded and pass the vehicle on the right.
The deputy conducted a traffic stop and spoke with the driver, Ladarius Takeem Francois, who appeared confused and drowsy. Francois originally said he did not know where he came from or where he was going. He said he did not suffer from any medical conditions, according to the sheriff’s office report.
A deputy who is a certified drug recognition expert arrived at the scene and took over the investigation. The deputy walked up to the vehicle and spoke with Francois, who appeared to asleep, and got his attention. Francois’ speech was low and mumbled, and the deputy had to have him repeat himself several times. Asked where he was coming from, Francois said Wildwood and he was on his way to Orlando. Asked if he knew where he was, he said he was in Marion County, the report said.
Francois agreed to perform a series of field sobriety exercises. He was taken to the South Multi-District Office to conduct them due to the safety concerns of doing them on a busy roadway during rush-hour traffic, according to the report.
After failing every exercise, Francois was placed under arrest and greed to submit to a breath test. The results were .00 grams of alcohol per 210 liters of breath. The deputy conducted a drug recognition evaluation and determined Francois was under the influence of a narcotic analgesic and it was unsafe for him to operate a motor vehicle, the report said.
After being read his Miranda warning, Francois said he used marijuana the previous night or earlier Monday but was unsure when because he had been up all night. He was taken to the Marion County Jail, where he was being held Saturday on $2,000 bond. Francois will appear in Marion County Court on Jan. 20.