Another Southwest Florida lawmaker is in trouble with the law; State Representative Dane Eagle is facing drunk driving allegations.
Probable cause affidavit: Dane Eagle
Deputies say Eagle ran a red light around 2:00 a.m. Monday, leading officers to pull him over.
Officers say they’d been watching Eagle’s car for some time, after he first pulled out of a Taco Bell on West Tennessee Street in Tallahassee.
According to the arrest report, Eagle tried to make a left turn but almost hit the median. The officer following Eagle wrote he nearly hit one curb, veered, and then hit another curb while continuing to drive down the street.
After he was stopped, the officer said there was a strong smell of alcohol coming from the car.
When asked about running the red light, eagle said he thought it was yellow.
Eagle told police he did not have anything to drink that night. However, according to the arrest report, Eagle’s “eyes were bloodshot, watery and glassy.”
The officer asked Eagle to get out of his car. The arrest reports says Eagle “stumbled to his left and fell against the rear passenger door of his vehicle.”
Eagle told officers the vehicle smelled like alcohol because he had friends in the car who had been out at a bar earlier.
He refused to submit to a field sobriety test and said he was “good to get home.”
Eagle released a statement to local media. It reads:
“I was arrested in Tallahassee and accused of driving under the influence of alcohol. While there are some decisions that I would have made differently, I do not believe there is a complete and accurate picture of the events. Under advice of my legal counsel, I cannot discuss all the details right now, but I look forward to publically (sic) sharing the entire story at an appropriate time. Until then, I humbly ask for everyone’s patience. I know that I am accountable for my actions, and I look forward to communicating with my constituents in the near future on this matter.”
Eagle was first elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 2012 as a 29-year-old.