A Villager’s adult daughter was arrested on a driving under the influence charge after she was confused by a red button at an entry gate.
Pamela Diane Hess, 48, of the Village of Fernandina, was at the wheel of a red Buick when she was spotted at about 8 p.m. Friday by a Community Watch driver, according to an arrest report from the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office. She was stopped at the gate to the Village of Pine Hills on Moyer Loop because she did not know “to push the red button to open the gate,” the arresting deputy wrote in the report.
The deputy found that the Jackson, Mo. native was “lethargic.” When the deputy asked Hess where she was going, she said she was going to “The Villages.” The arrest report noted that “unbeknownst to her, she was already in The Villages.” Hess said she thought she was in Orlando. Hess, who lives at 1221 Allaire Loop, complained that a “pizza delivery man” had given her incorrect directions to her destination.
Prior to taking part in field sobriety exercises, Hess claimed she suffers from vertigo and has had knee surgery. She had trouble touching the tip of her nose and other difficulties with the exercises.
A search of her vehicle turned up a plastic bag containing 49 pills that were determined to be Alprazolam, the report said. Hess said she had a prescription for the pills, but was unable to provide any documentation.
She was arrested on charges of driving under the influence and possession of a controlled substance. She was booked at the Sumter County Detention Center and released after posting $3,000 bond.
