POLK COUNTY, Fla. — A Polk County man was arrested and is charged with his fifth DUI, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies said 64-year-old Lakeland resident John Scott was pulled over while driving Thursday night after a witness said he was driving recklessly.
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“Most people get it, they know that driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol is a bad thing,” said Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd. “But this guy clearly doesn’t get it. The witness who called to report the reckless driver, then helped deputies locate him may have saved some lives tonight.”
Scott was found driving a white Chevy van with its high-beam lights on and failing to stay in its lane, according to deputies.
According to an arrest report, a deputy pulled over Scott and found, “his speech to be slurred, his eyes to be blood-shot and glassy, and a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from his breath and person.”
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The deputy also reported that he had to grab Scott three times as he would start to fall backwards.
Deputies said Scott was so unsteady on his feet that he was unable to perform two of the three parts of their field sobriety test.
Scott told the deputy that he left work at about 5:30 p.m. and went to a friend’s house to drink, where he “only had six beers.”
Restrictions on Scott’s drivers license only allow for him to drive to and from work only, deputies said.
Scott was arrested at that point for DUI and transported to the sheriff’s processing center.
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Officials said Scott became belligerent with the deputy at the facility and refused to provide a breath sample.
According to a report, he told the deputy, “I’m not doing a thing you say,” and called the deputy a racially derogatory word.
Scott was charged with DUI 4th or subsequent offense, refusal to submit to DUI BAL test and violation of driver’s license restrictions.
Deputies said Scott’s four prior DUI arrests in Polk County occurred in 1976, 1978, 1981 and 2000.
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