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.
Recommended Videos
"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)."
Michael Lester turns himself in for DUIDriving 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). You’ve heard Sheriff Judd on the radio telling his #CrazyCriminal Stories - we figured, for those of you who don’t have a radio, all two of you, why not share those stories here for your reading pleasure? Allow us to introduce Michael Lester of Winter Haven. On New Year's Eve, Michael decided to call in a drunk driver. Himself. If you need to take a second to re-read that sentence, to let it sink in, we'll wait. Good? Alright, let us proceed. So Michael called 911, and told the dispatcher that he was driving drunk, and needed to be pulled over. 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. Fortunately, Michael was stopped before anyone got hurt. Michael first told the deputy he had only two beers (standard drunk answer). Then he changed it to three or four (slightly more accurate). He also mentioned that he had only slept four hours in the past four days. Oh, and he also said that he had swallowed meth earlier, instead of smoking it. The attached audio is Michael's call to 911 (edited for time), and it's quite entertaining. Please folks, let this be a lesson to you that DUI is bad-bad-bad, because unfortunately, Michael is having a hard time learning this lesson. He has a criminal history which includes a previous DUI, as well as aggravated battery, drug possession, disorderly conduct, resisting, and hit & run. The Polk County Sheriff's Office had thirty DUI arrests in the month of December. Special thanks to Michael Lester, for throwing himself under the bus for #30 (we love round numbers). At least Michael wasn't involved in a crash, and lived to see another day (and maybe he'll see this Facebook post too. Hi, Michael!). By the way, he was also cited for driving on the wrong side of the road, improper use of the center lane, and no seat belt - 4 charges total (maybe he likes even numbers). #PCSO #DontDUI #Hello911ImHammered #SomebodyGetThisGuySomeBandAids #HeMethedUpBad #Best911CallWeveHeardInAWhile
Posted by Polk County Sheriff's Office on Friday, January 5, 2018