A Villager has been freed from jail after defiantly driving her BMW after a drunk driving conviction.
Andrea Lee Feeney, 68, of the Village of Lake Deaton, was released Oct. 19 from the Sumter County Detention Center after nearly a month behind bars.
Fenney had been arrested Sept. 13 when she was at the wheel of a white BMW X3 when she was driving on County Road 156 “at a high rate of speed,” according to an arrest report from the Wildwood Police Department. A radar check showed she was traveling at 50 miles per hour in a 25 mph zone.
During a traffic stop, Feeney said she had been at her first probation appointment and she got lost. She claimed she had been informed she could drive for the appointment.
In August, Feeney was placed on probation for one year and her driver’s license was suspended for one year after she pleaded no contest to a charge of driving under the influence.
The officer who stopped Feeney for speeding contacted Feeney’s probation officer who said that Feeney is not allowed to drive, including a prohibition on driving to probation appointments.
Feeney was arrested on a charge of driving while license suspended. Because the arrest was considered a violation of her probation, she was booked without bond. She was issued a written warning for speeding.
Feeney had been arrested on the DUI charge on April 5 as a result of a crash which occurred at The Villages Golf Cars on West Torch Lake Drive at Brownwood. Bystanders called 911 after Feeney’s blue 2021 BMW sport utility vehicle strayed from her lane and struck three golf carts parked outside the golf cart retailer. She was still seated in the BMW when officers arrived at the scene. It appeared she had been drinking. She was transported to UF Health-The Villages Hospital freestanding Emergency Room clinic at Brownwood for a medical evaluation. Feeney admitted she had been drinking and said she had, “One sangria, two margaritas, I asked them to make them weak.” She refused to provide a breath sample.
