PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (CBS12) — What started as a domestic disturbance call ended with a DUI arrest after police say a driver tried – and failed – to get rid of evidence during a traffic stop.
The incident was all caught on camera.
The Port St. Lucie Police Department said it responded to the call on May 30 and quickly spotted the vehicle involved as it was leaving the area. A sergeant began following the pickup truck, but it didn’t take long for things to escalate.
According to police, the driver struggled to stay in his lane, at one point nearly hitting a mailbox. Then, in a move officers say only made matters worse, the driver allegedly tossed a bag of marijuana out the window while being followed.
Officers quickly recovered the bag, and the situation shifted into a DUI investigation.
Police say they learned the driver had been drinking prior to the incident. After going through field sobriety exercises, the driver – identified as 49-year-old David Ward – was taken into custody.
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Ward now faces several charges, including driving under the influence, refusing to submit to DUI testing, possession of less than 20 grams of marijuana, and tampering with evidence.
He was booked into the St. Lucie County Jail without incident.
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Police added that trying to get rid of evidence during a stop usually has the opposite effect, drawing even more attention rather than avoiding trouble.