Uninvited guest faces DUI charge

By DUANE BOURNE
Published June 5, 2005

BROOKRIDGE - Eunice Wolfe, 82, had just left her lounging spot on her patio Thursday afternoon and walked inside her mobile home in the Brookridge community.

As soon as she reached the kitchen, Wolfe heard an explosion that left a giant hole where the wall used to be.

"I came into the dining room and there was an SUV on my front porch near where I was sitting," Wolfe said. Had she stayed put, the careening vehicle would have come within 2 feet of her.

"I am fine," she said. "I don't know where he came from. Someone was watching over me."

The startled woman called 911 and a friend to tell them what had happened.

After paramedics removed the driver, Charles Kurtz, from his vehicle, the 76-year-old Brookridge resident was arrested and charged with DUI.

"It was a crazy experience to see them take the car out," Wolfe said. "The whole park was here. It was quite an experience."

About 5:10 p.m., Kurtz's Ford Explorer knocked down the poles in front of a home at 15084 Brookridge Blvd., traveled up Wolfe's stairs next door and drove into her home.

Hernando County sheriff's deputies suspect Kurtz was traveling well over the 30 mph posted speed limit because his SUV left a long line of skid marks.

Kurtz told deputies that as he approached a corner of Brookridge Boulevard, a dark pickup truck swerved in front of his vehicle, forcing him off the road, a sheriff's report said.

While Kurtz was speaking, the deputy detected the odor of alcohol on him, even though Kurtz denied that he had been drinking. Kurtz took several field sobriety tests, which he did not perform well on, the report stated.

Kurtz was arrested after his blood-alcohol level registered 0.103 in a portable breath test, which is above the point at which state law presumes someone is impaired. After he took two more breath tests at the Hernando County Jail, Kurtz changed his story.

He told the deputy he had had two screwdrivers, but that his mixed drinks had more orange juice than vodka. He said "he was more than capable of operating a motor vehicle," the report stated.

Kurtz was released from jail after posting $500 bail.

--Duane Bourne can be reached at 352 754-6114 or dbourne@sptimes.com

[Last modified June 5, 2005, 02:15:25]