Local

Deputies: Drunken woman on golf cart nearly crashes into ambulance

SUMTER COUNTY, Fla. — A woman is accused of driving drunk in a golf car in the Villages.
 
Investigators told Channel 9's Myrt Price that her blood-alcohol level was twice the legal limit and she nearly collided with an ambulance.
 
Video from a Lake County EMS ambulance camera was recording when a golf cart, traveling the wrong way on El Camino Real in Lady Lake, came directly toward them.
 
The ambulance was forced to make a sudden stop in order to avoid crashing head on into the golf cart.
 
Deputies said Doreen Brown was behind the wheel of the golf cart. They said say she had been drinking.
 
"It was obvious that the person was intoxicated and incapable of operating their golf cart," said Gary Brannen, with the Sumter County Sheriff's Department.
 
Deputies said the paramedics in the ambulance were concerned for the woman's safety, so they flashed their lights and pulled Brown over. They waited with her until deputies arrived.
 
Officials said Brown claimed she only had a couple of drinks, but when she was given a Breathalyzer, they say her blood alcohol level was nearly twice the legal limit.
 
Brown was arrested and charged with DUI, despite the fact she was driving a golf cart instead of a car.
 
"The exact same charges apply," said Brannen.
 
Deputies said Brown is fortunate that the paramedics spotted her when they did.