Alachua County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrested a Newberry man Sunday night after deputies said he drove drunk with children in the car and then offered a bribe for his release.
At about 7:35 p.m. Sunday, Justin T. Hoyt, 18, asked a woman for a cigarette in the Kmart parking lot located at 900 NW 76th Blvd., according to a police report.
The woman called for help after she noticed Hoyt, who seemed intoxicated, step into his car and drive around the parking lot, according to the report.
When deputies arrived, they watched Hoyt run over a curb and drive the wrong way in the parking lot. Deputies stopped Hoyt and noticed his sister and two nieces — ages 2, 4 and 8 — inside the car, according to the report.
Hoyt performed poorly on a field sobriety test and later threatened a deputy on the way to jail. At one point, he asked the deputy to take off his badge and fight before stating "all cops were going to die," according to the report.
At the jail, Hoyt registered .173 and .166 on a breath test. He also offered the deputy $2,000 to release him, according to the report.
Police arrested Hoyt on charges of DUI and bribery along with three charges of child neglect. Authorities took him to the Alachua County Jail, where as of press time, he remains in lieu of a $10,000 bond.
Contact Giuseppe Sabella at gsabella@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @Gsabella
