As patrons of Gainesville’s bar scene celebrated St. Patrick’s Day on Friday, one woman was arrested for driving drunk through people’s front yards, Florida Highway Patrol said.
Marsha Vyann Lee
At about 9:55 p.m., Marsha Vyann Lee, 58, drove her red Chevrolet SUV through yards before neighbors near the intersection of Northeast 32nd Drive and Northeast 142nd Lane called police, according to an arrest report. Responding FHP troopers found her car parked in a driveway that wasn’t hers.
When troopers asked Lee for her driver’s license, vehicle registration and insurance, she gave them the car’s owners manual, according to the report. Lee almost fell over when she walked, and she smelled like alcohol.
She initially agreed to perform field sobriety exercises, but while a trooper placed red tape on the ground for the test, she changed her mind and said she wouldn’t do anything police asked of her, according to the report.
Troopers found two bottles of Fireball Cinnamon Whisky in Lee’s car, according to the report. One of the bottles was empty, and the other was almost empty.
Lee refused to submit to a breathalyzer test or talk with police, according to the report. Police arrested Lee on charges of driving under the influence and refusing to submit to a DUI test after her license was suspended. Authorities took her to the Alachua County Jail, where she was released Saturday on her own recognizance.
Lee could not be reached for comment.
Contact Meryl Kornfield at mkornfield@alligator.org and follow her on Twitter at @MerylKornfield
