A Villager who said he was lost last year when he drove a golf cart onto U.S. Hwy. 27/441 has been sentenced on a drunk driving charge.
Barry Leigh Stewart, 64, who resides on the Historic Side of The Villages, had been spotted shortly after 11 p.m. Nov. 28 traveling southbound on U.S. Hwy. 27/441 in a purple Yamaha golf cart, according to an arrest report from the Lady Lake Police Department.
There were no tags on the golf cart which might have indicated that it was Street Legal.
The golf cart made a U-turn, and began heading northbound. An officer activated his overhead lights, but Stewart did not pull over.
Stewart “occasionally waved, acknowledging the police unit’s lights and sirens, but not immediately pulling over,” the police officer wrote in his report.
When Stewart finally pulled over, he told the police officer he was lost, had made a wrong turn and was trying to get to Spanish Springs.
He admitted he had been drinking rum and Cokes earlier in the night. He could not participate in field sobriety exercises due to his level of intoxication, the report indicated. He provided breath samples that registered .224 and .223 blood alcohol content.
Earlier this month in Lake County Court, Stewart entered a plea of no contest in the case.
He will lose his driver’s license for a year and has been placed on probation for a year. When he regains driving privileges, he will have to have an ignition interlock device installed. He has been ordered to seek an alcohol evaluation and follow recommendations for treatment. He has been ordered not to possess or consume alcohol.
