Florida man on golf cart accused of drunkenly fleeing from deputy in The Villages

THE VILLAGES, Fla. - A Sumter County man accused of drunkenly riding a golf cart illegally was arrested after taking a deputy on a chase while driving under the influence.

On July 19, around 1:00 a.m., a deputy saw a red golf cart traveling in the middle of the roadway, taking up both lanes illegally near C-466 in The Villages. The deputy attempted to conduct a traffic stop on the man driving the golf cart, but he reportedly did not stop.

For a short time, the golf cart driver, 21-year-old Christopher Esdale, illegally drove on and off roadways as the deputy followed him with sirens blazing and lights activated, an affidavit shows. 

At one point, the deputy said he pulled his car out in front of Esdale, who then drove into the grass in an attempt to evade law enforcement. 

The deputy eventually got out of his car and reached into the golf cart to pull Esdale out after he refused to stop. 

Esdale had watery, glassy eyes, slightly slurred speech, and a very strong odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from his breath.

Deputies also saw a bottle of whiskey that appeared to have fallen from Esdale's golf cart.