57 Pinellas Drivers Face DUI Arrests, Citations In Less Than 12 Hours

CLEARWATER, FL — A Palm Harbor man was among nearly 60 people accused of driving under the influence during less than 12 hours in Pinellas County this weekend.

Clearwater police arrested Jacob Samuel Egozi, 18, Saturday at 1:57 a.m. after pulling him over for driving more than 100 mph in a 30 mph zone along Clearwater Beach, which was still crowded due to the Memorial Day weekend.

Police said Egozi nearly crashed several times before police caught up with him.

Police took two breath samples from Egozi and said he had a blood alcohol level of 0.130 and 0.133 percent. The legal limit in Florida is 0.08 percent.

Police also reported finding a bottle of rum and some THC wax in Egozi's vehicle.

He was charged with driving under the influence, racing on a highway and possession of a controlled substance.

His passenger, 20-year-old Alexus Savien Coutre of Clearwater, was also charged.

Despite widespread warnings from the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office regarding the presence of hundreds of officers and deputies taking part in DUI Wolf Packs on Pinellas Roads, waterways and from the air, the sheriff's office reported a disturbingly large number of DUI arrests and other disturbances over the holiday weekend.

According to the sheriff, between 7 p.m. Saturday and 6:20 a.m. Sunday, 28 people received criminal charges of driving under the influence and 29 more received DUI citations.

Participating in the DUI Wolf Pack were the Pinellas sheriff's office, the Florida Highway Patrol, Indian Shores Police Department, Kenneth City Police Department, Largo Police Department, Pinellas Park Police Department, St. Petersburg Police Department, Clearwater Police Department and the Tarpon Springs Police Department.

All together, law enforcement issued 36 criminal charges and 156 citations in Pinellas County alone.