{"id":411900,"date":"2026-09-27T09:02:12","date_gmt":"2026-09-27T09:02:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/411900\/"},"modified":"2026-09-27T09:02:12","modified_gmt":"2026-09-27T09:02:12","slug":"florida-man-76-with-suspended-license-allegedly-admits-to-driving-under-the-influence-of-rum-cocaine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/411900\/","title":{"rendered":"Florida man, 76, with suspended license allegedly admits to driving under the influence of rum, cocaine"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">A 76-year-old <a data-ylk=\"slk:Florida man;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/us\/us-regions\/southeast\/florida\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Florida man<\/a> with a suspended license allegedly admitted during a traffic stop that he had been drinking rum \u2014 later telling deputies he had also recently used cocaine \u2014 just four months after a separate DUI arrest, authorities said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Charles Ducking, 76, of Lake Wales, was pulled over after a sheriff&#8217;s deputy allegedly observed him swerving while driving along U.S. Highway 27 in Waverly, according to the Polk County Sheriff&#8217;s Office.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The deputy detected the odor of alcohol and noticed that Ducking allegedly had slurred speech and watery eyes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">When asked for his driver&#8217;s license, Ducking allegedly told the deputy it had been suspended.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><a data-ylk=\"slk:Florida Man Arrested For Dui After Troopers Allegedly Find 34 Open Alcohol Containers In Vehicle;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/foxnews.com\/us\/florida-man-arrested-dui-troopers-allegedly-find-34-open-alcohol-containers-vehicle\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Florida Man Arrested For Dui After Troopers Allegedly Find 34 Open Alcohol Containers In Vehicle<\/a><\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"Charles Ducking and Polk County background\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"540\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/fox_news_text_979\/40da5d9e04bcea1f9f3da1e3ec189eda.jpg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Charles Ducking allegedly told a Polk County sheriff&#8217;s deputy that his license was suspended because of a DUI and admitted he had been drinking, authorities said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;Well, I can&#8217;t show you my driver&#8217;s license cuz it&#8217;s suspended cuz DUI. And I have been drinking a little bit right now,&#8221; he said, according to the sheriff&#8217;s office.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><a data-ylk=\"slk:Read On The Fox News App;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/foxnews.onelink.me\/xLDS\/mvaj7wvj\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Read On The Fox News App<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Officials said Ducking then showed the deputy a silver thermal cup containing a brown liquid.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;This here is my rum I&#8217;m drinking,&#8221; he said, according to the sheriff&#8217;s office.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><a data-ylk=\"slk:Iowa Woman With A Prior Conviction Under Her Belt Arrested For Owi On Lawn Mower;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/foxnews.com\/outkick-culture\/iowa-woman-prior-conviction-arrested-owi-lawn-mower\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Iowa Woman With A Prior Conviction Under Her Belt Arrested For Owi On Lawn Mower<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">A traffic deputy who responded to conduct a DUI investigation immediately recognized Ducking from a <a data-ylk=\"slk:previous DUI arrest;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/health\/mental-health\/drug-and-substance-abuse\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">previous DUI arrest<\/a> in May, the sheriff&#8217;s office said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Officials said deputies also found a small orange container containing cocaine during a search of Ducking&#8217;s vehicle, which allegedly prompted Ducking to tell law enforcement he had &#8220;done a line&#8221; 10 minutes before he was pulled over.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">During field sobriety tests, Ducking displayed several indicators of impairment, and breath tests registered blood alcohol concentration readings of .094 and .095, above Florida&#8217;s .08 legal limit for drivers.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;While we appreciate Charles Ducking&#8217;s cooperation during the traffic stop, the fact of the matter is, he is lucky he hasn&#8217;t yet killed someone or himself while driving drunk and high on drugs,&#8221; <a data-ylk=\"slk:Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/foxnews.com\/us\/grady-judd-puts-parents-notice-tiktok-teen-takeovers-gonna-come-lock\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd<\/a> said in a statement.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;He has tempted fate too many times, and he needs to make some serious changes in his life before it&#8217;s too late,&#8221; Judd continued. &#8220;I am proud of my deputies for their proactive patrolling to find impaired drivers and get them off the road.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><a data-ylk=\"slk:Tiger Woods Strikes Plea Deal In Florida Rollover Crash Case, Loses Driver&#039;s License For 5 Years;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/foxnews.com\/outkick-sports\/tiger-woods-strikes-plea-deal-florida-rollover-crash-case\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Tiger Woods Strikes Plea Deal In Florida Rollover Crash Case, Loses Driver&#8217;s License For 5 Years<\/a><\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"Sheriff Grady Judd beside Sheriff Wayne Ivey and Gov. Ron DeSantis\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"540\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/fox_news_text_979\/4ba2d4fe75905edb8e62ec971e0451ca.png\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd (left) beside Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey (center) and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (right) at the Polk County Sheriff&#8217;s Office, on April 19, 2021.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Ducking was arrested and booked into the Polk County Jail. He was charged with DUI \u2014 fourth or subsequent offense \u2014 possession of cocaine, driving with a suspended license and possession of drug paraphernalia.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">According to the sheriff&#8217;s office, Ducking was previously arrested for DUI in May. He was released from jail days later after posting bond on the condition that he not possess or consume alcohol.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><a data-ylk=\"slk:Click Here To Download The Fox News App;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/foxnews.onelink.me\/xLDS?pid=AppArticleLink&amp;af_dp=foxnewsaf%3A%2F%2F&amp;af_web_dp=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.foxnews.com%2Fapps-products\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Click Here To Download The Fox News App<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Officials said Ducking has been arrested nine other times in Polk County dating back to 2001, including <a data-ylk=\"slk:multiple DUI arrests;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/crime\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">multiple DUI arrests<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Original article source: <a data-ylk=\"slk:Florida man, 76, with suspended license allegedly admits to driving under the influence of rum, cocaine;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/us\/florida-man-76-suspended-license-allegedly-admits-driving-under-influence-rum-cocaine\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Florida man, 76, with suspended license allegedly admits to driving under the influence of rum, cocaine<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A 76-year-old Florida man with a suspended license allegedly admitted during a traffic stop that he had been&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":411901,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[163338,71170,28,30,29,50213,119288,128653,142494],"class_list":["post-411900","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-florida","tag-charles-ducking","tag-driver39s-license","tag-florida","tag-florida-headlines","tag-florida-news","tag-polk-county-sheriff","tag-polk-county-sheriff-grady-judd","tag-polk-county-sheriff39s-office","tag-suspended-license"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/411900","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=411900"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/411900\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/411901"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=411900"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=411900"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=411900"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}