Sheriff’s officials in Florida are sharing details of an unusual New Year’s Eve arrest made after a man reported himself driving while intoxicated.
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office on Friday released audio from the 911 call in which Winter Haven resident Michael Lester can be heard complaining that he is drunk, lost and needs to be pulled over.
“I don’t know, I’m just drunk,” he can be heard telling the female dispatcher who asks for his location. “I don’t know where I’m at.”
When she asks if he needs medical attention, Lester replies, “No, I need a police department.”
Although the dispatcher repeatedly urges him to pull over, and Lester admits he should, he continues driving his red F-150 and announces plans to get something to eat.
Eventually, he annouces that he is parked in the middle of the road, and sirens are heard closing in a short time later.
Although he first told authorities he had one or two beers, Lester later changed that number to three or four, sheriff’s officials said.
He also told law enforcement he only slept four hours in the past four days and said that he had swallowed meth earlier in the day instead of smoking it.
Luckily, Polk County deputies were able to catch up with Lester before he or anyone else was hurt.
He was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence and was cited for driving on the wrong side of the road, improper use of the center lane and not wearing a seat belt, deputies said.
The Florida resident has a lengthy criminal history that includes a previous DUI, aggravated battery, drug possession, disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and a hit-and-run, according to sheriff’s officials.
