TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - A member of the Florida Legislature was arrested in Tallahassee and charged with drunken driving after an officer spotted him driving erratically and he refused to be tested, police said Tuesday.
Rep. Dane Eagle, 30, was arrested shortly before 2 a.m. Monday after he pulled out of a Taco Bell about two miles from the state Capitol, Tallahassee police officer David Keller said in his arrest report.
Keller says he watched as Eagle, R-Cape Coral, tried to make a left turn from the parking lot and almost struck a concrete median in his path. Keller says Eagle then stopped at a red light but went across the stripe in the street. He then made a U-turn and almost hit the curb, the report says. Eagle then drove 45 mph in a 35 mph zone, struck a curb and ran a red light before he was stopped, police said.
Keller says he smelled alcohol on Eagle’s breath and his eyes were bloodshot, but the state representative denied drinking. He says that when he asked Eagle to walk back to his patrol car, he stumbled and fell against his SUV. Keller says that when he asked Eagle about the alcohol smell, the legislator again denied drinking and said it came from friends who were in the car earlier.
Keller says Eagle refused to take a field sobriety test and said he was “good to get home.” Keller arrested Eagle, who later refused to take a breath test. Eagle was released after being charged with driving under the influence.
In a statement released Tuesday, Eagle said that “while there are some decisions that I would have made differently,” he does not think Keller’s report “is a complete and accurate picture of the events.” He said that he could not explain further on the advice of his attorney, but would at a later time.
Eagle, a real estate broker, was elected to the House in 2012.
The Florida Legislature is in the final two weeks of its annual session.
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