Lakeland man arrested for DUI and escape after officer released one handcuff so he could urinate

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Kenneth Darrell Walker, Jr., 47, of Lakeland, was arrested last night and charged with DUI, escape, and resisting an officer without violence after allegedly running from the officer after one handcuff was released so he could urinate.

At about 7:40 p.m., a Gainesville Police Department officer responded to the McDonald’s on Archer Road after a call was received about a vehicle that was stuck on a curb; a witness said the driver kept trying to back up but put the vehicle in “Drive” every time instead.

A second witness said the driver had gone inside the restaurant and that he had been walking very unsteadily and stumbling.

The officer reported that Walker was standing in front of another patrol vehicle when he arrived and that Walker was still unsteady on his feet. He said Walker’s speech was slurred and he smelled strongly of alcohol.

Post Miranda, Walker reportedly said he had not been drinking and had not been driving the vehicle. However, he reportedly said the vehicle belonged to him; when the officer asked who had been driving it, he reportedly gave no answer.

Walker reportedly performed poorly on field sobriety exercises and was arrested.

A search of the vehicle before it was towed reportedly produced an open bottle of rum on the center console; the officer also noted that the vehicle was full of items and trash, and there was nowhere to sit except the driver’s seat.

The officer took Walker to the HCA Florida Millhopper Emergency Room, where Walked was medically cleared without incident. The officer reported that while they were at the emergency room, Walker continued to insist that he had not been driving and asked where his car was. The officer reported that he answered the questions, but Walker repeatedly forgot the answers and asked the same questions again.

When Walker and the officer went back to the officer’s patrol car to go to the jail at about 8:50 p.m., Walker reportedly said he needed to urinate immediately and asked for one cuff to be removed while he urinated. The officer removed one cuff, and after Walker was done, he reportedly started walking away. When the officer told him to stop, he allegedly began running.

The officer reportedly chased Walker onto NW 43rd Street, where he wrestled Walker to the ground. Walker allegedly continued to resist being handcuffed, and the officer eventually employed his taser twice before he succeeded in handcuffing him. Because he had used the taser, he had to take Walker back to the emergency room to be medically cleared again.

The officer reported that on the way to the jail, Walker continued to say he was not drunk and had not been driving, but the officer also noted that Walker did not know where he was and asked why they were not going to the Polk County Jail.

Walker has no local criminal history but was cited for having an open container of alcohol in his vehicle in Polk County in 2019. Judge Jonathan Ramsey set bail at $7,500.

Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

The post Lakeland man arrested for DUI and escape after officer released one handcuff so he could urinate appeared first on Alachua Chronicle .