A man who drove into an activated railroad crossing early Friday morning was arrested on a charge of driving under the influence.
Joe David Wheeler, 53, of Oxford, was spotted driving into the activated railroad crossing shortly after 1 a.m. at East County Road 462 at NE 43rd Way in Wildwood, according to an arrest report from the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office. It appeared he had been drinking.
He failed field sobriety exercises and admitted to a deputy that he had been drinking rum at his home. He also admitted he had “got away for a long time” with drinking and driving and that law enforcement “caught him.”
He refused to provide a breath sample.
He was arrested on a charge of DUI and issued a written warning for failure to obey a traffic control device at the railroad crossing.
He was booked at the Sumter County Detention Center on $1,000 bond.
