English woman golfer charged with DUI on Siesta

Rachel L. Connor, 21, an English golfer, was charged with Driving Under the Influence early March 7 on Siesta Key, according to the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office.

She was released from jail under a $500 bond, the Sheriff’s Office reported.

Retired NFL running back Eddie George was the passenger in Connor’s two-door car when Deputy Theresa Norton stopped Connor shortly before 2:30 a.m. March 7 at 4051 Higel Avenue on the Key.

A number of past and present NFL players participated in the Archie Griffin Celebrity Golf Classic March 5-6 at The Concession Golf Club in Bradenton, which is where Connor told Norton she was headed when Norton stopped her.

On her Rachel Connor Golf website (www.chillgolf.co.uk), Connor says she has been training with students at the IMG David Leadbetter Academy in Bradenton.

In the Sheriff’s Office report, Norton said she and Deputy Judy Williams were parked in front of 5023 Ocean Blvd. when they saw a white, two-door car drive past them northbound on Ocean Boulevard at a speed both of them estimated to be 40 mph. The speed limit in Siesta Village is 20 mph.

When the vehicle approached the Treasure Boat Way intersection, Norton reported, “(It) abruptly jerked to the right, crossed over the shoulder line and corrected back to the lane.”

After Norton pulled in behind the vehicle, she reported, the car slowed down almost immediately to the posted speed, but it was still weaving in its lane. She followed it onto Higel Avenue and continued to observe it weaving back and forth, she added in her report.

After Norton pulled the car over, she reported smelling “a very strong odor of alcoholic beverage emanating from the vehicle.” When Norton asked Connor where she had been, Connor said she had been at The Beach Club in the Village. When Norton then asked how much Connor had had to drink, Connor replied that she had had one drink at 9 p.m. When Norton then asked her why she was weaving in her lane, Connor responded that it was because she was unfamiliar with the area.

After Connor climbed out of the car, Norton reported, Connor “swayed from side to side.”

Connor had difficulty performing the sobriety exercises Norton asked her to do, according to the report, so Norton transported Connor to the jail in downtown Sarasota.

During questioning at the jail, Connor admitted having had two vodka cranberry drinks at Libby’s Bar + Grill in Southside Village, between 9:30 and 10 p.m.

Connor agreed to take an Intoxilyzer test at the jail, Norton’s report says. Two breath samples yielded readings of .133 and .137, according to the report. The legal limit for driving in Florida is .08.