"Too drunk" Polk County driver calls 911 on himself, deputies say

WINTER HAVEN (FOX 13) - Deputies in Polk County say they arrested 30 people for driving drunk last month.  One of those arrests was probably the easiest one they’ll ever make.

It was New Year’s Eve when a man called 911 to report a drunk driver – himself.

“Umm, I’m drunk, I don’t know where I’m at,” the caller told a 911 dispatcher. “I’m just drunk driving…all night.”

The Polk County Sheriff’s Office released a recording of the call Friday.  They say man on the phone was Michael Lester of Winter Haven, who was looking for police but had a little trouble with his location when the dispatcher asked.

“I don’t know, I’m too drunk,” he replied.

LINK: Listen to the 911 call

In the recording, the dispatcher continues to ask him to pull over and tries to get more information out of him.  The caller tells her he’s “driving on the wrong side of the road” in his red Ford F-150 somewhere near a Publix, and continues to wonder where police are.

“I think I’m going to get something to eat. They can catch up with me,” he continues.

Eventually, he becomes more belligerent, refusing to give his name and objecting to the dispatcher’s repeated pleas to pull over.

“You don’t need to tell me what to do,” he says before hanging up.

Deputies managed to track down the pickup truck.  They say Lester admitted to having several beers, had only slept four hours in the past four days, and that he had also swallowed meth earlier.

“DUI is not a laughing matter,” offered a somewhat tongue-in-cheek PCSO Facebook post about the arrest.  “However...in this particular incident, nobody was hurt, so we couldn't help but LOTO (that means we Laughed Our Tasers Off).”

Lester, 39, was jailed on a DUI charge.  Investigators say he has a criminal history which includes a previous DUI, as well as aggravated battery, drug possession, and other charges. 

“At least Michael wasn't involved in a crash, and lived to see another day,” the PCSO post added.