A Tampa man was charged with DUI and marijuana possession after being discovered passed out in an Ocala RaceTrac parking lot with a broken gas pump handle from another station hanging out of his gas tank.
A Marion County sheriff’s deputy responded around 3 a.m. Thursday to the store at 1525 SW Hwy. 484 in response to a call about a vehicle that had been parked in a handicapped-designated parking spot with its headlights on for about 30 minutes.
The deputy observed the white sedan was parked at an angle in the handicapped spot. It was running and appeared to be unoccupied, but the deputy later saw a person – later identified as Devauntay Alcantay Philon – slumped over in the driver’s seat and appearing unconscious, according to the sheriff’s office report.
The deputy asked Philon to roll down his window to speak with him, and Philon rolled down the other windows of the vehicle while having trouble getting the driver’s window down. The deputy helped Philon open the driver’s door and get out of the vehicle, the report said.
The deputy appeared to have mumbled speech and was disoriented. Asked where he was driving from, Philon said, “Tampa.” Asked where he was going, he said, “Tampa.” The odor of marijuana emitted from the vehicle, resulting in a vehicle search that turned up a green leafy substance in the center console. The substance later tested positive for marijuana, according to the report.
Further investigation unveiled a broken gas pump handle that remained in the gas door that was possibly related to a prior call for service, when a vehicle matching Philon’s vehicle description left a previous gas station with the gas pump hose still attached, the report said.
Philon failed a series of field sobriety tests and was taken to the Marion County Jail, where a breath test did not reveal any alcohol in his system. Philon provided a urine sample for testing. A certified drug recognition expert evaluated Philon and determined he was impaired by a drug and unable to operate a vehicle safely, according to the report.
Philon was taken to the Marion County Jail, where he was released Friday on $2,000 bond. No court information was available.