A state correctional officer was arrested for DUI in Bowling Green over the weekend.
On Sunday, Polk County deputies were at the Bowling Green Bar on Highway 17 responding to a separate call about a fight. While they were investigating, they say 27-year-old Richie Evans pulled his SUV into the driveway between two marked patrol cars with their emergency lights on.
Deputies who spoke with Evans noted in the arrest report that they smelled alcohol coming from his SUV and saw a half-empty beer bottle in a cup holder. When Evans was asked to get out of his SUV, deputies say he was unsteady on his feet and slurring his words. He then failed a field sobriety test, according to the arrest report.
A news release from the sheriff’s office says Evans admitted he was drinking at a cookout earlier in the evening and then went to Charlotte’s Web bar where he had several beers.
“Mr. Evans was already intoxicated behind the wheel and was about to enter another bar to drink more alcohol,“ Sheriff Grady Judd said in a statement. “Our deputies did a good job recognizing he was impaired. His arrest protected drivers on the road from encountering him.“
Evans was arrested for DUI and taken to the Polk County Jail. Deputies say he declined a breathalyzer test.
Evans is an officer with the Florida Department of Corrections Avon Park Correctional Institute, according to the news release from the sheriff’s office.
“As a correctional officer, Mr. Evans should have made better decisions,“ Sheriff Judd said.
