WINTER HAVEN, Fla. – A Winter Haven man was arrested on New Year's Eve on allegations of calling 911 to report a drunken driver: himself.
Michael Lester was arrested on charges of DUI, driving on the wrong side of the road, improper use of the center lane and not wearing a seat belt.
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"So Michael called 911 and told the dispatcher that he was driving drunk and needed to be pulled over," deputies said in a Facebook post. "The dispatcher, who did a fantastic job by the way, continually tried to get Michael to pull over, kept him talking, and directed a deputy to Michael's location."
Dispatcher: 911, what's the address of your emergency?
Lester: All over Winter Haven. ...I'm too drunk. I don't know where I'm at.
Dispatcher: You're drunk driving right now?
Lester: Yeah, all night.
Dispatcher: Can you pull over for me?
Lester: I think I'm going to go get something to eat. They can catch up with me.
Dispatcher: Where have you been all night?
Lester: Driving around trying to get pulled over, actually.
Dispatcher: What's your last name?
Lester: I don't feel like giving that to your right now.
[LISTEN TO FULL 911 CALL AT BOTTOM OF STORY]
Deputies said Lester was stopped, and no one was injured.
According to the Polk County Sheriff's Office, Lester first told the deputy he had only two beers before saying he had as many as four. He also said that he had only slept four hours in the past four days and had swallowed methamphetamine, instead of smoking it, according to deputies.
Lester has a criminal history that includes a previous DUI, aggravated battery, drug possession, disorderly conduct, resisting and hit-and-run, deputies said.
The Polk County Sheriff's Office said it made 30 DUI arrests in the month of December.
The Sheriff's Office started the Facebook post by saying, "Driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs is a serious crime. Innocent people are too often injured or killed from impaired drivers. DUI is not a laughing matter. However, in this particular incident, nobody was hurt, so we couldn't help but LOTO (that means we Laughed Our Tasers Off)."
