An Ocala woman with a suspended license and an expired tag was arrested recently after a Marion County sheriff’s deputy reported seeing her driving erratically.
The deputy initially stopped 48-year-old Amy Christine McCord because she was drifting toward a curb and jerking back toward the center of two lanes. When the deputy approached McCord, he reported smelling a strong odor of alcohol. McCord claimed she had been at the “Last Tab” and had only consumed three beers, according to a sheriff’s office report.
McCord, who lives on N.E. 2nd St. in Ocala, struggled through field sobriety tests and was then placed under arrest and transported to the Marion County Jail, where she provided breath samples that showed .072 and .070 blood-alcohol content.
After being read her rights, McCord said she takes extended-release Venlafaxine, an anti-depressant/anti-anxiety medication which a deputy noted “exhibits impairment in the same manner as alcohol.” The deputy also noted that the combination of alcohol and the prescription medication could cause impairment consistent with McCord’s performance during the field sobriety exercises.
After a computer check showed that McCord’s license was suspended on April 6, 2020 for failure to pay a traffic fine, she was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs and operating a vehicle without a valid license. She was being held on $1,500 bond and her next court date hasn’t yet been set, jail records show.