A 64-year-old motorist with many past DUI convictions was detained in Ocala for reportedly swerving on SE Maricamp Road and traveling nearly 30 mph below the posted speed limit.
On Tuesday, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a white Kia Soul speeding and swerving “all over the road.” According to the arrest record, an MCSO corporal located the car as it traveled eastbound on SE Maricamp Road.
The Kia was apparently “weaving out of its lane” and driving at 23 mph in a 50-mph zone. The corporal initiated a traffic stop near the 9500 block of SE Maricamp Road due to concerns that the driver was intoxicated or had a medical emergency.
When the corporal approached the Kia’s driver, Donna Lynn Harrigan, he noticed a “forceful odor of an intoxicating beverage.” Harrigan also allegedly had “bloodshot [and] watery eyes,” as well as slurred speech.
Harrigan first denied drinking any alcoholic beverages. However, she later told the corporal that she “made a mistake” after being “clean and sober for 21 years,” according to the report.
While speaking with the corporal, Harrigan allegedly revealed that her driver’s license had been revoked. She was subsequently requested to exit the vehicle, and the corporal observed that she had a “noticeable sway.”
According to the report, Harrigan agreed to participate in field sobriety exercises, but she stopped after the initial ocular evaluation and told the corporal that there was “no sense in doing it.” Harrigan was subsequently arrested and transported to a police vehicle, where she allegedly refused to comply with breath test instructions and told the corporal to “just take (her) to jail.”
Harrigan’s criminal history investigation revealed five prior DUI offenses running from 1983 to 2005 in Colorado and numerous Florida counties. She also has five previous convictions for driving with a suspended or revoked license.
Harrigan’s driver’s license was suspended in 2005 for four or more DUIs, and it was later revoked in 2017 and 2021, according to the report.
Harrigan was taken to Marion County Jail following this week’s traffic stop and subsequent arrest, and she is still being held on a $30,000 bond. She is charged with DUI (fourth or subsequent offense), driving with a suspended or revoked license (third or subsequent offense), and refusing to submit to DUI tests.
Harrigan’s court date has not yet been scheduled, according to jail records.
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