I Wasn't Drinking While Driving, Only At Stop Lights, Florida Man Allegedly Tells Cops

A Florida man argued with cops following an accident that he wasn't drinking and driving -- he was only drinking while at traffic lights and stop signs, according to authorities. 

Earle Stevens Jr., 69, is accused of running into a woman's car "over and over" at a Vero Beach McDonald's drive-through on June 27, according to a police report obtained by The Smoking Gun.

When a deputy tracked Stevens down, he allegedly had an open bottle of bourbon in the front passenger seat.

The deputy noted in his report: "I could smell a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage emitting from his breath. His speech was slurred and his eyes were red and glossy.”

The officer asked Stevens how he was feeling and Steven allegedly replied, “I’m feeling pretty good,” according to the report. When asked for his ID, Stevens handed the deputy a Florida ID card. The cop then specified he was asking for a driver’s license.

“That’s all I have,” Stevens said, the deputy claims. Stevens allegedly said that he had never had a valid Florida driver’s license.

Stevens admitted to drinking but only when the car was stationary, police say.

“I asked him if he was drinking in the vehicle and he stated, 'No,’” the deputy wrote in the report. “When I asked him where he was drinking he stated, 'Stop signs.' He further explained that he was not drinking while the car was moving and only when he stopped for stop signs and traffic signals."

earl stevens

After taking field sobriety tests, Stevens was found with a 0.153 blood alcohol content, police say - nearly twice the legal limit. He was subsequently charged with DUI and driving without a license, according to the Miami Herald. He has since been released on a $1,500 bond.

Stevens allegedly told police he'd been charged with a DUI twice before in Missouri, the Herald reports.

[Photo: Indian River County Sheriff’s Office]