A 61-year-old Michigan man was busted for drunk driving following reportedly crashing his car into a mobile home in Fruitland Park and fleeing to a nearby property.
At around 8:05 p.m., Lake County Sheriff’s Office deputies went to a reported hit-and-run crash. Monday, June 15, in a mobile home park at 4059 Picciola Road.
Upon arrival, a deputy spoke with a witness who reported hearing a huge “boom” that shook his girlfriend’s mobile home. When the man walked outside to investigate, he noticed Karl Hatton, of Prescott, Michigan, backing his 2008 Buick Lucerne into the trailer. The witness described Hatton as wearing blue and yellow bathing trunks and no top.
The witness indicated that he and Hatton exchanged words after the incident, but he couldn’t understand Hatton because of his highly slurred speech. Hatton then drove away, parking in a neighboring lot.
A second deputy spotted Hatton in a neighboring lot, seated in the front passenger seat of his Buick. During an interview, Hatton admitted to backing his vehicle into the trailer. The deputy noticed Hatton’s slurred speech, bloodshot and watery eyes, heavy sweating, and a strong alcohol odor.
Hatton, who has a Michigan driver’s license, admitted to drinking but said he went inside his home, drank several shots of alcohol, and then returned to his car after the incident. However, the witness had already reported to deputies that Hatton’s speech was slurred shortly after the crash.
Hatton refused to take part in standardized field sobriety tests, citing various health issues. He needed help from both the deputy and the car door merely to rise up and get out of the vehicle.
Hatton was arrested and brought into the Lake County Jail, where he submitted two breath samples with.096 and.092 blood alcohol levels. He was released on a $2,000 bond.
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