An Ocala woman was arrested late Sunday night after a retired Marion County sheriff’s lieutenant saw her driving without headlights and swerving “all over the roadway.”
The retired lieutenant followed 30-year-old Adalgisa Alvarez’s black Ford Explorer on S. Pine Avenue while keeping sheriff’s dispatchers apprised of their location.
A K-9 deputy spotted Alvarez’s SUV at the intersection of Pine Road and SE Hwy. 464. He attempted to conduct a traffic stop on Pine Road, but Alvarez kept driving southbound past several more roads before stopping in front of 3 Willow Place.
Another deputy arrived a short time later and Alvarez told him that she didn’t speak English. But a trainee deputy who was on scene was able to translate throughout the traffic stop.
A sheriff’s office report notes that Alaverez “was disheveled with her hair out of place, her lipstick smeared, and her blouse was significantly pulled down.” She told deputies that she didn’t have any medical problems and had not consumed any intoxicating beverages. She also couldn’t give an explanation for her driving, her speech was slow and her eyes were bloodshot, the report says.
Alvarez was taken into custody after failing five field sobriety tests. On the way to the Marion County Jail, the deputy spoke with the retired lieutenant to clarify what he saw. He said that Alvarez pulled out in front of him on S. Pine Avenue without headlights and weaved in and out of the inside lane. He also told the deputy that Alvarez turned abruptly on SE Lake Weir Avenue and then activated her headlights while traveling eastbound on 38th Street.
Eventually, the retired lieutenant said, Alvarez turned onto SE Hwy. 464 and traveled several more miles, crossing over the center line multiple times. And along the way, he said, her brake lights lit up several times and her vehicle traveled at varying speeds.
Alvarez was booked into the Marion County Jail at 12:27 a.m. Monday and provided a breath sample that registered .000 blood alcohol content. She provided a urine sample and was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs pending the urine analysis.
Alvarez was released on $1,000 bond Monday at 11:27 a.m. Her court date to answer to the DUI charge hasn’t been set.
