A 76-year-old Lake Wales man was arrested on U.S. Highway 27 in Waverly after allegedly admitting to a Polk County Sheriff’s deputy that he had been drinking rum and had used cocaine shortly before getting behind the wheel, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.
Charles Ducking was pulled over after a deputy reported seeing him swerving while driving. The deputy said Ducking showed signs of impairment, including slurred speech, watery eyes and the smell of alcohol. When asked for his driver’s license, Ducking said he could not provide one.
“Well, I can’t show you my driver’s license cuz it’s suspended cuz DUI. And I have been drinking a little bit right now,” Ducking told the deputy, according to the sheriff’s office. He then showed the deputy a silver thermal cup, saying, “This here is my rum I’m drinking.”
A traffic deputy who arrived to handle the DUI investigation recognized Ducking from a previous DUI arrest in May, officials said. A search of his vehicle turned up a small orange container of cocaine. Ducking allegedly told deputies he had “done a line” about 10 minutes before being stopped.
Ducking failed field sobriety tests, and breath tests showed blood alcohol readings of .094 and .095, both above Florida’s legal limit of .08.
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said in a statement that Ducking’s cooperation during the stop did not change the seriousness of the situation.
“While we appreciate Charles Ducking’s cooperation during the traffic stop, the fact of the matter is, he is lucky he hasn’t yet killed someone or himself while driving drunk and high on drugs,” Judd said. “He has tempted fate too many times, and he needs to make some serious changes in his life before it’s too late. I am proud of my deputies for their proactive patrolling to find impaired drivers and get them off the road.”
Ducking was booked into the Polk County Jail and charged with DUI — fourth or subsequent offense — possession of cocaine, driving with a suspended license and possession of drug paraphernalia.
He was arrested on a DUI charge in May and had been released from jail after posting bond on the condition that he not possess or consume alcohol, the sheriff’s office said. Records show Ducking has been arrested nine other times in Polk County since 2001, including multiple prior DUI cases.
