TAVARES, Fla. — Juan Arredondo was arrested on Sunday morning after police discovered him asleep at the wheel, and he subsequently led officers on a slow-speed chase. The incident occurred on March 29 around 2:30 a.m. at an intersection.
Arredondo was eventually detained in a Wawa parking lot and faced charges of driving under the influence, resisting an officer without violence, and fleeing with sirens active.
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The Tavares Police Department arrived after a caller reported a vehicle parked in the roadway for 10 to 15 minutes.
When officers arrived at the scene, they saw Arredondo sleeping in his car. They issued several lawful commands for him to park the vehicle and open his window, but police reported that Arredondo seemed incoherent and did not follow their instructions.
Arredondo drove north on US Highway 441 at a slow speed, then stopped in a Wawa parking lot, ignoring commands and refusing to remove his seatbelt.
Officers forcibly removed Arredondo from the vehicle to stop him from possibly driving away again. Police reported that they detected the smell of alcohol on Arredondo and found a half-empty bottle of Bacardi inside the vehicle.
Arredondo refused to perform field sobriety exercises after being taken out of the car and also declined to give a breath sample.
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