Pinellas County Man Charged with Sixth DUI

Clearwater police charged Vance Waggoner of Indian Rocks Beach was felony driving under the influence and reckless driving with property damage last week after Waggoner crashed his car into a building.

Arrest reports indicate that Waggoner was convicted of DUI in Indiana five times between 1991 and 2008. His permanent residence is in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

According to law enforcement, Waggoner was speeding, when he tried to make a turn at the intersection of Gulf Boulevard and Bayway Boulevard at about 1 a.m. The car hit a fire hydrant before running into the Bayside Condominium building, causing extensive damage.

Waggoner had a blood alcohol level of 0.18, more than twice the limit a driver is presumed impaired in Florida, according to the arrest report. He was treated by paramedics at the scene for minor injuries.

Under Florida’s DUI laws, Waggoner faces conviction of a third-degree felony due to his repeat offender status. If convicted and shown to have been convicted three or more times in the past of DUI, he can be sentenced to prison for up to five years. In order to prove this, prosecutors will have to prove not only the DUI but also must obtain certified and authenticated copies of his previous DUI convictions from Indiana. This can sometimes prove a bit tricky – an experienced DUI defense attorney must review all of the conviction documentation very closely to ensure that the state has complied with the letter of the law in proving repeat offender status.

The reckless driving charge is a first-degree misdemeanor, carrying a possible one-year jail term upon conviction.