Scarsdale Man Arrested for Drunk Driving

On Monday, Feb. 21, a Scarsdale resident was arrested in Rye for drunk driving after patrol pulled him over for operating his vehicle in an erratic manner.

Donald Svoboda, 70, was apprehended near Playland Access Road by a Rye police officer, who had observed Svoboda driving his grey Volvo at the intersection of Theodore Fremd and Hammond Road. Svoboda had apparently been disrupting traffic flow by moving at a slow pace and swerving over the road’s yellow lines.

The officer followed Svoboda’s car and witnessed it swerve once more over the yellow lines south of the Theodore Fremd Avenue and North Street intersections before pulling the car over and requesting Svoboda's license and registration. Svoboda asked the officer why he had been pulled over, at which time the officer discerned alcohol on his breath and noted his slurred speech and bloodshot eyes.

Svoboda informed police that he had recently been at the Rye Roadhouse, a restaurant and bar on 12 High Street, Rye, as well as the Coveleigh Club on 458 Stuyvesant Ave. The officer asked him if he had been drinking, and Svobada answered that he had imbibed several alcoholic beverages.

The officer asked Svoboda to step out of his car, but the man could not stand upright or maintain balance and had to clutch onto the car door's side to maintain an erect posture. Svoboda was subsequently arrested. 

Svoboda was unable to perform a field sobriety test in a safe manner due to his intoxicated state and refused three times to submit to a chemical test. He was given summonses and released on a $100 bail. Svoboda will appear in Rye City Court on March 1.

Editor's Note:

Donald Svoboda's last name was misspelled in the article's second to last paragraph. It has since been corrected.

Patch regrets the error.