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Suspected drunk driver chugs beer in front of Lakeland officers, tells them he has 3 DUI convictions: LPD

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Published  April 23, 2025 4:43pm EDT
Lakeland
FOX 13 News

The Brief

    • A man is accused of drinking a beer in front of Lakeland police officers while sitting in the driver’s seat of a running truck.
    • Police say Juan Francisco told them he had three previous DUI convictions, which they confirmed.
    • Francisco refused to cooperate with sobriety exercises and was arrested for DUI (his fourth offense), refusal to submit to DUI tests after license suspension, and knowingly driving while license suspended.

LAKELAND, Fla. - A man who Lakeland police say drank a beer in front of them while sitting in the driver’s seat was arrested for DUI for the fourth time last week.  

The backstory:

According to the Lakeland Police Department, officers went to the 600 block of Bay Street shortly before 4 a.m. on April 19 to investigate a black truck that appeared to have hit another vehicle in the parking lot. 

Responding officers said they saw Juan Francisco inside the running truck drinking a beer. 

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Police say Juan Francisco drank a beer in front of them and said he has three previous DUI convictions. Image is courtesy of the Lakeland Police Department.

Police say Juan Francisco drank a beer in front of them and said he has three previous DUI convictions. Image is courtesy of the Lakeland Police Department. 

Police said Francisco did not immediately open the truck’s door but continued to drink his beer. 

When officers were finally able to gain access to the truck, they said they put the truck in park and found five empty beer bottles inside. 

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Dig deeper:

According to police, Francisco told them that he had three previous DUI convictions, which they were able to verify. 

Juan Francisco mugshot. Courtesy: Lakeland Police Department

Juan Francisco mugshot. Courtesy: Lakeland Police Department

Officers said Francisco was evaluated for impairment because he had slow, slurred speech, bloodshot, watery eyes and smelled of alcohol.

However, police said he refused to cooperate with sobriety exercises and was arrested for DUI (his fourth offense), refusal to submit to DUI tests after license suspension, and knowingly driving while license suspended.

The Source: This story was written with information posted by the Lakeland Police Department. 

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