Release by Polk County Office:
A disturbance was occurring at the Grove Lounge Thursday night in the Haven of Winter.
It was reported that two possibly intoxicated women were arguing and appeared they might be about to drive away.
At about 9:45 pm, a deputy pulled into the parking lot and stopped. He immediately saw the women in a 2020 Nissan Altima. The deputy probably thought he got there just in time to stop the possibly intoxicated woman from driving.
That thought would be short-lived though.
Before the deputy could get out of his patrol car, he noticed the Nissan beginning to move. Slowly. Across the parking lot. Toward his car.
The driver wasn’t even looking forward…she was looking to her right, and she continued to creep toward the patrol car.
The deputy knew he couldn’t back out onto Cypress Gardens Road. That would be risky.
Instead, the deputy tried to get the woman’s attention by flipping on his emergency lights. It didn’t help.
CRUNCH!
The bad news is the deputy’s patrol car was damaged. The good news is that nobody was injured, and the Nissan wasn’t going anywhere else.
The deputy made contact with the driver and noticed her speech was slurred and her eyes were watery. When he asked her for her license she handed him her debit card.
The deputy asked her if she had been drinking, and she replied, “Ahh, yes.”
The woman was identified as Traci, and was arrested.
The passenger reported that the women had about two to three margaritas and a shot of tequila before going to the Grove Lounge. Yup, that’ll do it.
Traci was taken to Grady’s Bartow Bed & Breakfast and charged with DUI.
