A 24-year-old Ocklawaha man was arrested on a drunk driving charge after nearly getting into a head-on collision in Belleview.
A Belleview Police officer was traveling westbound on County Road 25, just east of SE 115th Avenue, on Saturday night when he saw a black passenger car cross the center line and almost hit another vehicle head-on. The officer conducted a traffic and observed that the driver – Christan Douglas Hicks, of 16075 SE 113th St. Road – had slurred speech, bloodshot watery eyes, and the smell of an alcoholic beverage on his breath, according to the police report.
Hicks told the officer he was coming from a friend’s birthday party, where he had consumed eight or nine 12-ounce beers. After failing several field sobriety exercises, Hicks was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, the report said.
Hicks was taken to the Marion County Jail, where a breath-alcohol test produced readings of .135 and .122. He was released Sunday on $500 bond.